Stand In The Rain
by missmissa85
Summary: As the country celebrates the election of a new president, one young man acts on a spiteful impulse, hurting the only woman he's ever cared about. When they're put back together again, can they keep it together for good? Post-finale Literati
1. Chapter 1: Blind Sea Mammals in Turkey

A/N: Okay, I've been writing fanfiction for a while, but I just recently got into Gilmore Girls. I haven't seen all the episodes yet, so I'm kind of winging it from the dozen episodes and clips I've seen and the synopses I've read. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

November 4th, 2008

She compared the present insanity of Chicago to New Orleans at Mardi Gras, Boston after the Red Sox won the Series, and New York on New Year's. McCain had just conceded and Barack Obama was the President Elect of the United States. People were celebrating in the streets, waving flags, and even kissing perfect strangers.

Rory looked down at her phone and smiled. "Hey, Amelia. Sorry."

"No, you're not!" her friend replied in fake vehemence.

"You're right. I'm not sorry he won, but I'm sure you're warmer than I am right now."

"This is so true. Are people dancing in the streets? It sounds like people are dancing in the streets."

"They're doing more than dancing."

"Don't have too much fun. Are you going to cover the inauguration?"

"Yep."

"Then I'll see you in January. I'm going back to Tulsa for the holidays."

"I'm going home too. Say hi to your parents for me."

"Only if you promise to say hi to your mom and Luke."

Her heart almost stopped, but not because of Amelia's request. She saw a familiar face in the mass of people. A girl grabbed him and kissed him, to his obvious surprise. She wasn't sure, but she thought their eyes met for a fraction of a second. She quickly turned and started walking the other direction.

"Rory? Are you there? You haven't lost your phone again, have you?"

"No, no, I just thought I saw someone I knew."

"Was it that writer guy you're always talking about?"

"I don't always talk about him."

"You do when you've had more than one glass of wine."

"It was probably just someone who looks like him. He lives in Philadelphia, not Chicago."

Fingers tapped on her shoulder and she turned instinctually. Lips pressed to hers and a hand cupped her face while another pressed into the small of her back. She pulled him closer without even thinking as the kiss became deeper and more frenzied. Abruptly it stopped and she looked up into Jess Mariano's dark, brooding eyes.

"Drive safe," he whispered before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

She robotically lifted the phone back to her ear to once again hear her friend's confused questions. "Amelia, I'm gonna have to call you back," she said blankly.

"Okay. I'm going to New York to watch the ball drop this year. We should get together."

"Yeah, sure," Rory replied automatically.

"Bye."

"Bye."

She ended the call and then hit the first number on her speed dial.

"Hey, sweets!" Lorelai Gilmore's voice greeted cheerily. "You must be thrilled you've been traipsing after the winner for the last year and a half!"

"M-m-mom?" Rory said shakily as she sunk to the stone steps of a random building."

"Baby, what's wrong?"

* * *

"Jess is officially uninvited from the wedding," Lorelai announced as she dropped the phone into her fiancé's lap.

"He's the best man. He can't be uninvited," Luke replied, placing the phone in front of him on the coffee table and not looking away from the muted television.

Lorelai plopped down next to him on the couch and angrily said, "Why the hell did you make that hooligan your best man?"

"Because he's the only man in the world I half-way like. And 'hooligan'? How much time have you been spending with Taylor lately?"

"No more than necessary. Look, Rory's presence is non-negotiable, but Jess can definitely be replaced."

"What has he done now?"

"He made out with Rory in the street, said, 'drive safe,' and walked away."

Luke just blinked.

"Apparently, she did something like that to him at some point," Lorelai answered his unspoken question, "but taking revenge like that is just malicious and it's been like six years and—"

"Oh. My. God."

"What?"

"Look at the screen."

Lorelai's mouth gaped at what she saw. The headline said the reporter was broadcasting live from Chicago. Just over his shoulder was a young man standing still and looking at his shoes amongst a manic crowd.

"Is that—"

"Yeah."

"He has scruff."

"I know."

"He's crying."

"I see that," Luke said as he picked up the phone and punched in the numbers.

* * *

It was stupid, mean, and completely unnecessary. He and Rory had been trapped in a vicious circle of doing horrible things to one another while trying unsuccessfully to prove how much they cared for each other for years. He'd acted on a spiteful impulse the moment he laid eyes on her. The circle might have just ended on hate and would never come back around to love.

He didn't realize he was in the middle of the street crying until his phone started buzzing in his jacket pocket. He took a deep breath and answered, "Hello."

"Jess, why are you in Chicago?"

"Luke? What-how—"

"Look to your left, kid."

Jess turned his head to see the reporter and camera crew in jackets labeled CNN. "Shit mother fucker," he muttered as he walked purposefully out of the camera's line of sight.

"Hope you didn't say that too loud. I'd hate for my nephew to be the reason CNN's on a five second delay."

Jess could hear Lorelai in the background demanding Luke give her the phone. Luke finally yelled at her to back off and told her he'd be outside. When Jess heard quiet in the background, Luke asked, "What the hell were you thinking, Jess? Or were you even thinking at all?"

"No," Jess answered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"This should have been a great night for Rory."

"I know."

"And you basically trashed it."

"I know, okay? I fucked up, and I'm never going to be able to fix it. You don't have to tell me."

"Okay, fine, but I do have something to tell you."

"What?" Jess asked, leaning against a light post and kicking the sidewalk.

"You're gonna work it out."

"You meaning?"

"You and Rory."

"What alternate reality are you living in?"

"Listen, everybody knows you and Rory are supposed to be together."

"Who the hell is 'everybody'?"

"The entire world up to and including blind sea mammals in Turkey."

"I don't think they have blind sea mammals in Turkey."

"Well, if they did, they'd know you and Rory are supposed to be together."

"When did you turn into a doe-eyed romantic?"

"I'm getting married in a couple of months. It happens."

"Am I still invited?"

"For the moment, but you're on seriously thin ice."

"Thanks, Luke. For everything."

"You're welcome."

The conversation ended abruptly, and Jess replaced the phone in his jacket pocket. He shrugged his shoulders to keep out the wind and headed in the general direction of the dive motel at which he was staying. He wanted to believe Luke was right, but he also knew he had to get out of town before he wound up doing anything else he would regret for the next few years or so.

* * *

Lorelai stepped out onto the porch, sat down on the bench next to Luke, and wrapped a blanket around the two of them. They wrapped their arms around one another beneath the cover and fell into a comfortable silence. Finally, she looked up at him and said, "So you think it's inevitable Rory and Jess will wind up together, huh?"

"Yep."

"Is there, you know, a reason you have this exceedingly odd hypothesis?"

He met her eyes and said, "Two reasons actually."

"And they are?"

"Well, I'm looking at one and you're looking at the other."

Lorelai couldn't help but smile. "You really thing they're that much like us?"

"Except smarter," he answered. "Which hopefully means it won't take them twenty years to figure it out. I couldn't stand the drama."

"Nope. Neither could I," Lorelai admitted. "And I don't think there are blind sea mammals in Turkey either."

Luke rolled his eyes, but smiled and held her closer.

* * *

Rory slept a grand total of forty-five minutes before she had to get up and cover yet another post-election press conference. She was running on triple espressos, taking only perfunctory notes, and not developing even a slight opinion on anything the man was saying. When a tear hit the page, she felt like a total idiot. After all these years, she should not be crying over Jess Mariano.

She was exceedingly grateful when the conference ended. She rushed back to her room with the intention of bashing out an article as quickly as possible and then hopping a plane back to Connecticut. Her cell phone started ringing and she answered without looking at it.

"Mom, I know you're worried and everything, but I _really _have to get some work done before I come home."

"Hey, there Georgie-girl. I am _so_ not your mother."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Amelia."

"It's okay. I was getting a weird vibe on the phone last night and obviously your mom is worried, so what the heck happened?"

"It's kind of a long story," Rory said as she opened the door to her hotel room.

"Does our year and a half of chasing down politicians together mean nothing to you?" Amelia asked mockingly. "Besides, if my Okie horse senses are correct, last night had something to do with Jess Mariano."

"How do you know anything about Jess?"

"Well, the last time we were in Philly, you told me I had to stop you from seeing him, I said, 'Who?' and the whole story spilled out, you getting drunker as it went along."

"I only sort of vaguely remember that and I hoping it was just my imagination," Rory admitted as she plopped down at her desk and turned on her laptop.

"I found it all incredibly entertaining. You could have made a TV series out of everything you told me that night."

"Ugh."

"So what happened _last _night? Was Jess the person you thought you recognized?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"He kissed me."

"Really?!"

"Then he said, 'Drive safe' and walked away."

"Really?" Amelia asked, much less excited.

"Yeah."

"Can I say something painfully honest?"

"No, but I can't really stop you."

"You kind of had that coming."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't. Call your friend, Lane, and she'll tell you the same thing. A really good friend is supposed to tell you the truth, even when it hurts."

"Did I say anything else stupid about him that night in Philly."

"Well, you said you'd had an epiphany-albeit a drunken one-and that was that Jess was the biggest reason you didn't marry that Logan guy."

"I said that?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did I have a reason?"

"You said that you and Jess were just like your mom and Luke and that you'd eventually just figure it out."

"I said that?"

"Stop saying 'I said that.' Bust out a thesaurus or something."

"How come you never said anything to me?"

"I could never find an appropriate segue."

"That's no excuse."

"_I _think it is. Look, Ror, the guy next to me on the bus is giving me stink eye, so I've got to go, but think about what I said you said, okay?"

"Fine."

"Good girl. I'll call you before New Years so we can get together."

"Sure. Sounds good."

"Later, Georgie-girl."

"Later."

Rory closed her laptop, laid her head on the desk and let the tears fall freely from her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2: Dropping the Ball

December 24th, 2008

"Merry Christmas, everybody!"

The crowd in Luke's dinner muttered an incoherent reply.

"You're annoyingly cheerful today," Luke grumbled at his fiancée.

"To you, I'm always annoyingly cheerful."

"True," he admitted before kissing her quickly and delivering a set of plates to a nearby table.

"And you, child of mine," Lorelai began, sitting down on the stool next to Rory, "how are you this afternoon? Are you working?"

"Yeah, my boss decided he wanted a human interest story about Christmas in a small town. Apparently, I'm the only reporter he knows from a small town."

"Ooo, that reminds me," Lorelai said, reaching into a bag at her feet. "Here is your paycheck, and this was waiting for you at the post office."

Rory shoved her check aside to look at the thick manila envelope her mother set before her. It was addressed to Rory Gilmore in care of the Stars Hollow post office. In the corner where the return address should have been was a single word; "Dodger."

Rory nearly choked on her own saliva. Her mother was right next to her, watching her expectantly.

"Well, are you going to keep me in suspense?"

"Um, yes, I think I will," Rory answered, shoving the envelope into her bag.

"What? Why?"

"Well…it might be a Christmas present, and it's not Christmas yet."

"A present from who?"

"Uh…"

"Rory."

"I'm gonna go talk to Taylor about this article," Rory said, suddenly standing up.

"Rory!"

"Mom, please."

"No. You've been depressed since you got back and if that thing is from who I think it's from—"

"Mom, just wait until tomorrow. I'm begging. Please."

"Fine, but I want to go on record saying that I don't like it."

"I know. Thank you. I'll be back here for dinner."

Lorelai could feel Luke standing behind her as she said, "I hate your nephew."

"And, in other news, it snows in Connecticut," Luke muttered in reply.

* * *

Rory sat down on the bridge and let her feet dangle over the side. She withdrew the envelope from her bag and pulled out the thick stack of paper from within. The first page said, "Light, by Jess Mariano." Above the title was a hand-written note in bright green ink saying it needed a better title. She ran her fingers over Jess's handwriting and turned the page. Her eyes welled at what she saw. It said, "For Rory, to whom I can never apologize enough."

She caught a tear before it smudged the manuscript. She took a pen from her bag and turned the page, adding her own notes to his as she read.

* * *

December 26th, 2008

Jess groaned when he heard a knock at the front door. He grabbed the nearest t-shirt and pulled it over his head as he stepped around his roommates and their friends passed out on the apartment floor. He was surprised to find a well-dressed young woman on the other side of the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked groggily.

"My name's Amelia Davidson. You're Jess Mariano."

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"I've read your book. It's really good."

"Okay," Jess replied, uncomfortable with the idea that writing a book may have just earned him a stalker.

"A friend of mine loaned it to me," Amelia continued.

"Really?" Jess asked, not even attempting to sound interested.

"Maybe you remember her. Her name is Rory Gilmore."

Jess's face became suddenly serious, and he stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. "Okay, who are you, how did you find me, and why are you here?"

"I told you my name. I know Rory from work—we've spent countless hours on a bus together—Googling somebody is not that hard, and I'm here to tell you you should come watch the ball drop in New York City."

"Why?"

"Because it's a huge national event right up there with the Super Bowl and the Oscars."

"Why?" Jess repeated more angrily.

"Rory will be there."

"I don't know you, but you are absolutely insane. Besides, New York City is a big place."

"It's still just an island. I'm on my way to Stars Hollow right now, I just wanted to drop by and share my brilliant plan with you. Oh, and she loved your new book, by the way."

"How did you—"

"Lane's in Europe and I've been temporarily promoted to best friend, though I'm sure Lane knows everything I do, but she can't do anything about it," Amelia turned and started to walk away. Before Jess even opened his door, she turned back around and said, "By the way, if I wasn't absolutely sure Rory would hate me forever, I'd jump you right here in the hall. Bye."

Jess blinked as she disappeared down the staircase. "Where do they find these people?" he muttered before quietly ducking back into his apartment.

* * *

"Why are you getting in so late? Was there an accident on the interstate?"

"Geeze, Rory. Hello to you too," Amelia said as she quietly followed her friend into the house and dropped her bag by the door.

"Hello. Why were you so late? You're never late to anything. Your mom said you were three weeks early when you were born."

"I didn't drive in from New York. I drove in from Philadelphia," Amelia answered nonchalantly as she as she hung her coat on the tree.

"You drove from where?"

"You heard me, Georgie-girl."

"Why, why, why did you do that?"

"I've never really done all the touristy things in Philadelphia," Amelia replied, sitting down on the couch. "So, I toured Independence Hall, ran up the steps of the art museum, met a marginally famous writer…"

"Amelia, you're supposed to be my friend," Rory hissed at her.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm nuts."

"That's because you are!"

"Here's his current address, by the way," Amelia said, handing her a scrap of paper from her jeans pocket. "You can send him your mark-up of his manuscript. You did mark up the manuscript, didn't you?"

"Yes," Rory admitted, grumbling. "Thanks. I think."

"You're welcome."

"Coffee?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

December 30th, 2008

"Hey, Jessica! You've got mail!"

Jess groaned and rolled his eyes at his roommate's annoying nickname for him. He reluctantly got up from his chair and trudged into the kitchen.

"The name is Jess, Mike," he practically growled at his roommate.

"But calling you Jessica is so much more fun.

Jess glared at him.

"Okay, maybe just fun for me," Mike muttered before retreating to the living room with his bag of left-over candy canes.

Jess sifted through the envelopes on the table. There were a couple of bills and a letter from his mom, which he placed in the same pile as the bills, and a large, manila envelope. He immediately recognized her neat handwriting. He eagerly grabbed it and rushed back to his room as Mike asked, "Dude, where's the fire?"

He plopped down on his unmade bed and ripped open the envelope. His heart sank when he saw the envelope in which he'd sent the manuscript to her. He briefly thought she hadn't read it until he remembered his odd conversation with that Amelia girl the day after Christmas, and his heart lightened considerably.

He pulled out the pages of his manuscript. Rory had written all of her notes in red, unlike his, which were in every color from green to black to purple. That probably meant she wrote them all at one time. Underneath his note on the cover she wrote, "It is a sucky title, but I'm all out of suggestions." She'd crossed out his dedication and written, "Please don't publish this." He read on. In some places where he'd been critical, she told him not to be so hard on himself. That, however, didn't stop her from crossing out whole pages and occasionally eviscerating his lack of focus. At one point she asked, "Is this about me? I hate that I made you feel like that."

The last page had only two lines and Rory's neat script covered the rest of the page and spilled onto the back. It read:

"Jess,

This is a beautiful story. The characters are so real, I feel like I could pick them out in a crowd. _Light_ may be a boring title, but it makes sense. The book is all about not seeing what's right in front of you, and _Blindness _is already taken. They say examining every writer's work reveals more about the writer than it does the subject. I can honestly say I'll never understand the pain your parents obviously caused you. It's all over this book, but I'm sure it's only a fraction of the truth. What I do understand is the pain that_ I_ have caused you. I understand because I have experienced that same pain either because of your actions toward me, or because of the regret I carry for my own actions. You crashed my car. I broke your heart. You broke mine. I broke your heart again. And you broke mine again. I think we're just about even. All I need to do is crash your car that is if you own one. Sorry. Rambling. I don't know if I love you, but I know no one can break my heart like you. That has to mean _something_, doesn't it? When I think of New York City, I think of you. I'm lost there without you. I can never seem to find that record shop you took me to. I can barely find Washington Square Park. It's like the biggest city in the world and it just seems empty without the possibility of you being there. I'm rambling again. I don't know what else to say. Happy New Year.

Love,

Rory"

Jess jumped out of his bed and ran into the other room, his socks making him slide across the hardwood floor.

"Dude, if that was your Tom Cruise from _Easy Money_, you need to lose the pants."

"Shut up, Mike. Where are my shoes?"

"I don't know. I'm not your mom."

"Thank God for that. What the hell are you watching?"

"Uh…"

"You're watching _Gossip Girl_?"

"Everyone's allowed their guilty pleasures, man!"

"Help me find my shoes!"

"Fine!"

Mike reached behind the couch and tossed a boot at Jess. He caught that one and managed to duck when the other one flew to close to his head.

"Thanks a lot!" Jess yelled sarcastically.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"New York."

"City?"

"Yes," Jess answered, jumping around gracelessly as he pulled on his boots.

"Now?"

"Yes!" Jess shouted back, extremely annoyed.

"You don't actually think your excuse for a car is going to make it all the way to Manhattan, do you?"

"I'll take the bus," Jess shouted from his room as he stuffed a random assortment of clothes and books into a bag.

"What should I tell the guys?"

"I don't know. Tell them my mother died."

"You just got a letter from her."

"You read my mail?"

"I _looked_ at it!"

"I'm sure your _Gossip Girl _marathon will help you come up with a good excuse," Jess said, pulling on his coat.

"Is Rory a girl?"

"What?"

"She is, isn't she? The one who sent the package?"

"I'm leaving now!"

"I can only cover for you for like three days, not counting New Years."

"Okay!" Jess called back.

"Drive safe!"

"Never say that again!"

"Okay," Mike replied sheepishly as the door slammed with frightening force.

* * *

December 31st, 2008

"What is your freaking problem?! If you don't know how to drive, you should have taken a freaking train!"

"I had no idea you were such an aggressive driver. You're like worse than my mom."

"You wanna drive, Georgie-girl?"

"No, no, you keep on doing what you're doing."

"Why did your editor want us for this job exactly?"

"He wanted small-town perspective."

"I'm from Tulsa, not Terlton."

"What's Terlton?"

"It's a tenth of the size of Stars Hollow, and it's in the middle of the woods."

"Family?"

"Grandparents live there. It's near a lake."

"I hope you know all the parking is ridiculously expensive."

"Well, sister, there's this little thing Jesus did called walkin'," Amelia said in an exaggerated southern accent.

"Is your camera battery charged?" Rory asked, pulling the bag out of the backseat.

"Of course it is. I am a professional, after all."

"Do you think he'll show?" Rory asked quietly.

"Did you send the manuscript back?"

"Yes."

"He'll be on the island somewhere."

"How can you have so much faith in someone you talked to for only five minutes?"

"It's not that I have so much faith in him, but that I have faith in general. I am from the buckle of the Bible-belt after all."

"But you've been all over the world. You used to be a paparazzo. How can you have faith in anything, least of all people…and emotions…and stuff."

"I think I may have been a paparazza seeing as how I have boobs, but the pictures aren't all I get to see. I see people. I know people. I'm smart that way."

"You are very full of yourself."

"Yes, I am, Georgie-girl. It's how I survive in this mad, mad, mad world."

"We're in a parking garage now."

"Yes, Rory, we are. Let's get out and walk to Times Square."

"Fine. Let's go pretend we're so backward, we've never even heard of ball dropping."

"Of course we've heard of ball dropping, we live in a nation with a failing economy and every elected official pointing fingers at the person next to them," Amelia said, smiling sarcastically.

Rory giggled as she handed the camera bag to her friend.

* * *

Jess sighed as he stepped out into the busy New York night. It was barely seven and Manhattan was already awash with people. In a way it was comforting. Languages he didn't understand, words he had yet to explore. Its what he loved most about the city. Just about anyone could find peace there, despite the utter insanity.

He didn't have enough cash for a cab, so he started hoofing it to Times Square. Even if he didn't remember the way, he wouldn't need to. He could just follow the thousands of people going there. It occurred to him then that he had little to no chance of seeing Rory in this mess. Her new friend, Amelia, was apparently crazy _and_ stupid.

They were never going to have a storybook romance. Well, if they were, it was a book by Emily Bronte, not Jane Austen. They wouldn't have a happy ending. They couldn't. There was too much baggage. They hurt each other too much. Realistically, there was no chance.

He'd almost decided to turn around and get on the next bus back to Philly when he looked up and saw bright lights around the corner. Cops were blocking off auto traffic, and had bomb-sniffing dogs next to where people on foot were allowed. He didn't understand how any creature could smell out a bomb with the combined odors of all these people, but he supposed it made some people feel safer.

It was warmer in Times Square. He could never tell if it was the lights, or the people, or the fact that it was always bright as daytime there, but it was comforting and gave him the slight hope he needed.

* * *

"Hello?" Rory said into her phone.

"Hey, kid! How's the Square?"

"Bright," Rory told her mother while closely following her friend. "Are you watching Ryan Seacrest?"

"Of course. Have you seen him?"

"No, but he is the hardest working man in showbiz."

"You would have thought that Ivy League education would make you smart. I wasn't talking about Ryan Seacrest. I was talking about a certain nephew of a certain fiancé of mine."

"You have more than one fiancé? I'll remember that the next time I see Luke."

"Stay on point, sweets. Have you seen him, or not?"

"It's a big city, Mom. Even if he came we might not see him."

"I'm sure he's there. I have it on good authority you two are 'meant to be.'"

"Whose authority?"

"Luke's."

"Luke said something like that?"

"Well, not exactly like that, but the sentiment was certainly the same."

"I don't understand how everyone can be so positive about this. It's not like we're living in some kind of love story. And if we are, it was obviously written by Emily Bronte and not Jane Austen."

"Wow, that Ivy League education didn't make you smart, it made you cynical."

"I'm realistic, Mom."

"Who actually likes realism?"

"The millions of people that watch reality TV."

"Please, babe! That is _so_ not realism."

"I'd love to debate the merits of reality television with you mom, but I do kind of have to look around to write my article and uphold the integrity of the fourth estate."

"Chin up, kid."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

"Your mom checking up on you?"

"Yep."

"My mom gave up checking up on me years ago. She's just glad I call every week so she knows I'm still alive."

"Mom and I went through a period where we didn't talk. It was bad."

"My mom is a great mom, but she was never my best friend. You're lucky, Rory."

"Ace!"

Rory's face fell. "I think you just jinxed my luck," she muttered, turning around.

"Is that—"

"Yes."

"I don't even need to smell him to know he's been drinking."

"It's a common occurrence."

"What are you doing in the City, Rory?"

"Ringing in the New Year," she answered uncomfortably. "Logan, this is my friend, Amelia."

"Push me in front of you, and you die," Amelia threatened through clenched teeth.

Logan didn't even break his gaze from Rory. A dopey grin spread across his face.

"You look great, Ace. You haven't changed at all."

"It's only been a year and a half, Logan."

"Still, you're beautiful."

"Thank you," Rory replied uncertainly.

"You know there's a great bar right around the corner. You'd love their Cosmos. How about a drink for old time's sake?"

"I'm working here, Logan."

"Oh, come on, the ball doesn't drop for two and a half hours. You can have _one_ drink with me, Ace."

"Uh…okay," Rory finally answered, glancing over at Amelia.

"Cosmos are so not my thing. I'm going to stay here and take pictures."

"Great!" Logan said throwing an arm around Rory's shoulders. She instinctively wrapped her arm around his waist to keep him upright as they strolled down the crowded sidewalk.

Amelia randomly swung her camera around, snapping pictures at odd intervals. She stopped after a few and reviewed them. Her eyes widened at one of the familiar faces in the crowd. She looked up in time to see him walking the opposite direction of the rest of the crowd and then disappearing completely.

"Rory, wait!" she screamed, running after her friend.

* * *

There he was. A real prince, and he was walking away with the princess. The lights of Times Square weren't comforting at all anymore. They just illuminated everything that was wrong, namely him. He let a stupid, romantic notion worm its way into his head and his heart. He should get it out before it killed him.

* * *

A/N: _Gossip Girl_ happens to be _my_ guilty pleasure, so I'm not really criticizing. I finally watched an episode featuring Logan, and I thought if anything could ruin a perfect set up, it was him. Thanks for the alerts and reviews!


	3. Chapter 3: Yours to Hold

A/N: This chapter is kind of short, and I don't really like the middle, but I LOVE the ending. Enjoy!

* * *

"Amelia, what's wrong?"

"This," she replied, skidding to a halt and handing Rory the digital camera.

Rory looked at the picture of Jess' hurt face and bit her lip. "Did you see him?"

"He was walking away. Do you know where he'd go?"

"Probably back to Philadelphia," she said, handing the camera over. "Sorry your plan didn't work."

"What are you two talking about?" Logan asked.

"Shut it, Wolverine!" Amelia yelled at him before grabbing Rory's shoulders and saying, "Listen, Rory, this isn't _Wuthering_ _Heights_. It's not a tragedy unless you let it be one."

"Amelia, why do you care much?"

"Yeah, it's a little creepy," Logan told her.

"Shut up!" both women screamed at him.

"Look, Rory, I had a relationship once and it seemed like a fairy tale, and, well, let's just say it turned out to be a tragedy afterall," Amelia explained. "You think you're Catherine and Heathcliffe, but you're not. You and Jess are Lizzie and Darcy and this wanker here is going to end up with the slutty sister!"

"I think I was just insulted."

"Amelia, I—"

"Rory, you got into one of the most exclusive prep schools on the east coast, graduated at the top of your class, went to one of the best universities on the _planet_, took a long stop at crazy-ville, but you learned from it, and you've been following the guy who's going to be president in three weeks for so long, you probably know his brand of toothpaste! Convincing a man that's already in love with you to give an _actual_ relationship a try should not be that big a deal for you."

Rory smiled and laughed at her friend. "You sound like my mom!"

"I've been watching her all week should we need a little Lorelai in a pinch," Amelia joked back. "Now, think, where would he go?"

"Uh, I don't know…Washington Square Park!"

"It's thirty-ish blocks that way. Take the subway. If you don't get off by Bleeker, you've gone too far. Now, go!"

Rory quickly hugged her friend and dashed toward the nearest subway entrance. Amelia could feel Logan breathing behind her. She turned around to find him too close for comfort.

"So, Wolverine, huh?" he asked. "What has Rory told you about me?"

Amelia forced a smile and replied, "Enough to know I didn't want to know more."

"Aww…really?" he asked in mock hurt.

"Really," Amelia answered before grabbing his loosened tie and driving her knee into his groin. As he crumpled to the sidewalk, she smirked and said, "See ya, cheerleader."

* * *

The wind was biting at his face when he realized he wasn't walking anywhere. He flinched when he looked to his right and found the Met and its massive steps. He wasn't lost, though. He just didn't know where he was going, and there was a profound difference.

He sighed when he looked at the number on his ringing phone. "Luke, I hate you and everyone you're choosing to be related to."

"Okay, I hate everyone you have no choice but to be related to. I'm guessing you and Rory and Times Square didn't work out so well?"

"How did you know about any of this?"

"Rory tells her mother everything, I live with her mother, her mother has a big mouth…"

"I heard that!"

"You've got big ears too!"

Jess rolled his eyes at the conversation on the other end of the phone. He nearly dropped the device in his hand as he stared down toward the sidewalk. He saw a young woman looking around, confusion filling her eyes. Her khaki coat and white beret made her look more like an angel than her face usually did. She was alone and asking fruitlessly for directions. He couldn't help the smirk playing across his lips.

"Jess. Jess, are you listening to me? Jess!"

"I have to go, Luke," Jess said quietly into the phone.

"Fine, but you might want to call your mother sometime this decade."

"Whatever. Happy New Year, Uncle Luke."

"Happy New Year, kid."

* * *

She should have paid more attention when she got on the subway. Impulsive never worked for her. Now she had the Met on one side and Central Park on the other. She was completely lost and she didn't have enough cash to take a cab all the way across town, not to mention the fact that she would likely never get there in time anyway, and there might not be anything to get there for at all. No one was interested in giving her directions and some of them were just too drunk to care.

"You lost, little girl?"

Rory squirmed as she turned to see a dirty-looking man coming toward her. He swaggered drunkenly and smiled toothily. She shook her head emphatically.

"You sure? You look pretty lost?"

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Traffic."

Rory smiled up at the young man with his arm thrown over her shoulders nonchalantly. The drunken tour guide held up his hands in surrender and walked away. Rory's savior took his arm away and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Sorry, were you about to fix him with your withering stare?" Jess asked sarcastically.

Rory narrowed her gaze toward him and folded her arms across her chest.

"Is _this_ your withering stare?"

"It's getting there," she promised.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked, walking away.

"Well, I was going to Washington Square Park, but I got on the wrong train," Rory explained following him.

He turned, smiling devilishly. "Why the hell were you going to Washington Square Park?"

"I thought you would be there, but obviously you're not because you're here."

"I just started walking. You're the one who can't figure out how to use the subway."

"You're a real jackass, you know that?"

"You wanna get back to Times Square?"

"Yes!"

"Come with me."

They walked silently toward the park, Rory following a few inches behind him. Music wafted through the trees. A rough, soulful voice sang:

"_Every single day _

_I find it hard to say _

_I could be yours alone_

_You will see someday_

_That all along the way_

_I was yours to hold_"

"It's a nice song," Rory muttered.

"Yeah," Jess agreed quietly.

"I didn't come here for him," she said, stopping on the path.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, reluctantly turning around.

"He just appeared and asked me to go for a drink and I couldn't come up with a good reason not to go with him. I'm sorry you saw. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Of course you didn't," he yelled back sarcastically. "You never do. _I_ never do. But hurting each other, that's all we have…and maybe Luke's wrong, maybe that's all we can ever have."

"If you believed that you wouldn't have come here tonight!" Rory yelled after him.

"_I'm stretching but you're just out of reach_

_You should know_

_I'm ready when you're ready for me_

_And I'm waiting for the right time_

_For the day I catch your eye_

_To let you know_

_That I'm yours to hold_"

Jess didn't know if the applicability of the song or Rory's accurate statement stopped him. He sighed and turned around. The light hit her in such a way that she looked too good for him and just out of his reach. A part of him knew this was the last chance they were going to get. The right time would only really ever come once.

He held out a hand and said, "Come on. Let's get you back to Times Square before the ball drops."

She smiled weakly and took his hand as they walked through Central Park.

* * *

"Do you know who that band is?"

"No, but they kind of suck!"

"They usually do at these things!"

"How long before the ball drops?"

"About two minutes!"

"I hope Amelia's getting pictures."

"I should probably head back to the bus station!"

"Jess, wait!" Rory said grabbing him, and keeping him from disappearing into the crowd.

"What?"

"This isn't how I pictured this going!"

"Me either!"

They stared at one another as the countdown started from sixty.

"_Fifty-six, fifty-five, fifty-four!"_

"I'm sorry, Jess!"

"I know you are! I'm sorry too!"

"_Forty-nine, forty-eight, forty-seven!"_

"Any new year's resolutions?" Rory asked dumbly.

"A few."

"Well?

"How about we be better to each other?" he suggested over the din.

"_Thirty-one, thirty, twenty-nine!"_

"I have a better idea!" Rory shouted back. "How about we be better _with_ each other?"

"Are you serious?"

"I wouldn't have said it otherwise!"

"You're crazy!"

"It runs in my family! Have you met my mother?"

"_Thirteen, twelve, eleven!"_

"Rory, I—"

"Jess, I always come back to you! No matter what, it's always you! Please! I know I don't deserve it, but I just want another chance!"

_"Five, four!"_

He grabbed her and crushed his mouth to hers. His arms wrapped around her waist as hers encircled his neck and her fingers tangled in his hair. They were still lost in each other as the giant ball of light bathed Times Square in its glow and confetti rained down on them. They didn't see the young woman on the shoulders of a perfect stranger aiming her camera at them.

Amelia looked down at the display on her camera and said, "Great storybook ending." She thanked the guy whose shoulders she'd just used and flipped open her phone. "Hey, Uncle Jeff. You're still with the _Times_, right? Tell your boss I have a great picture for her."

* * *

A/N: This might seem like a good place to end the story, but I would never stop at just three chapters. The song was "Yours to Hold" by Skillet. I applaud you if you got my _Heroes_ reference because I was being quite subtle. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: Front Page News

January 1st, 2009

Luke didn't need an alarm clock. He woke up at five in the morning whether he wanted to or not. This particular morning he had to extricate himself from under his fiancée and off the couch. The TV was still on at a low volume. He turned it off and was surprised to still hear low voices coming from the kitchen. A quick glance out the window confirmed Rory's return with the presence of her car, and he didn't give it a second thought.

Trudging into the kitchen, he headed for the refrigerator. He saw the two people at the table and said automatically, "Morning, Rory. Jess. Jess?"

"Hi, Luke," the couple said in unison.

"Oh my God, Jess, you didn't sleep here last night did you?" Luke asked in a panicked stage whisper. "Cause, you know, Lorelai's sort of okay with the _idea_, but if you slept here there will be consequences. We're talking bloodbath here!"

"Luke, I didn't sleep here last night."

"Then what the hell are you doing here so early?"

"There is no winning with you," Jess muttered.

"Luke, we just got here a couple of hours ago, and Amelia's sleeping in my room because you two were on the couch, and I made coffee and we've been sitting here talking ever since," Rory explained. "No need to call the National Guard."

"Fine. I have to get to the diner," Luke replied, huffing toward the stairs.

"Do you think he came in here for a reason?"

"He'll probably remember in half an hour when he's already at the diner. Maybe I should go with him."

"Why?" Rory whined, grabbing his arm.

"He's right. Your mom will freak if she wakes up and sees me."

"Mom's not a morning person, she probably won't even notice you until after she has her coffee."

"And then she'll come down the stairs with an ax."

"Stop being ridiculous."

"Actually, I think I'm being practical."

"Why are people talking this early in the morning?" Amelia grumbled as she came out of Rory's bedroom.

"Please tell me you're wearing clothes?"

"Why is that a concern?"

"Relax, I borrowed a pair of your pajamas," Amelia told her friend as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Why did you think she wasn't wearing clothes?" Jess asked Rory, whose back was toward her bedroom door.

"I have an aversion to pajamas."

"What does that mean?" Jess quietly asked Rory.

"It means she sleeps in her underwear when we share a room."

"What does she do when you're not sharing a room?"

"Wouldn't you love to know?" Amelia said sarcastically as she sat down.

"Hey," Luke said quietly from the kitchen doorway, fully clothed and hat on head, "tell your mom I kissed her goodbye if she wakes up and complains. I'll see you down at the diner."

"You have an odd family, Georgie-girl."

"You're one to talk."

"Okay, I have to know. What's the deal with the whole Georgie-girl thing?" Jess asked.

"It was a book."

"And a movie."

"And a song."

"By The Seekers," he finished. "I know all of that. Why do you call her that?"

"Well," Amelia began, "we were at this vintage store the first time we were in Philadelphia, and she tried on this dress that made her look exactly like Lynn Redgrave in the movie. She didn't buy the dress, but the nickname stuck."

"You were where?" Jess asked, looking directly at Rory.

Rory stared down at her twiddling thumbs. Amelia looked between them until realization dawned on her tire face. "Okay, this would be my cue to leave," she said, standing and taking her coffee with her to Rory's bedroom.

"How many time were you in Philadelphia over the last year?"

"Three, I think," she answered. "The first time was when we found the dress. I just told Amelia I wanted to keep busy. The other two times kind of run together because there was a large amount of alcohol involved. At some point, I apparently told her everything about us."

"I'm sorry I caused you so much pain," he told her.

"It wasn't just you, Jess," she assured him. "I was afraid of what I might do, and how it would end up just hurting us both."

He reached across the divide between them and took her hand. "Feel free to come and see me the next time you're in Philadelphia."

She laced her fingers through his and said, "Will you run up the steps of the art museum with me?"

Jess laughed and replied, "When hell freezes over."

"Come on, Jess, please," she begged.

"Nope."

"Please, it'll be fun," she said, standing up and holding his hands.

"Not gonna happen."

"You sure about that?" she asked, sitting down in his lap as his arms encircled her waist.

"Absolutely."

"Really?" she asked seductively as she trailed kisses along his jaw line.

"Well…"

She looked at him hopefully.

"So not gonna happen," he answered flatly.

She shoved him playfully. "You're mean."

"I am not," he told her, holding her more tightly.

"Yes, you are," she said before wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. The couple didn't even notice the woman at the doorway looking at them with a sad sort of smile before she stealthily ascended the staircase.

* * *

Lorelai tossed and turned in her bed for an hour unsuccessfully. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep when she heard her door open. The beautiful smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her nostrils and she almost couldn't resist.

"Mom?" Rory asked quietly, sitting down on the bed. "Mom, wake up. I have coffee."

Lorelai rolled over smiling and said, "Hello? The nose," as she took the mug from her daughter's hands.

"You were already awake, weren't you?"

"Oh, yes."

"I was coming up here to warn you."

"No warning necessary," Lorelai assured her. "I already saw you with your tongue down his throat in my kitchen."

"Mom, we—"

"Just make me one promise, sweets."

"What?"

"Whatever happens with Jess this time, make sure the ending is permanent."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't give me that, hon. You know exactly what I mean."

Rory shrugged. "We'll do our best."

"That's all I ask," Lorelai said, embracing her daughter.

"Oh my God!" came the scream from downstairs.

"What was that?"

"Sounded like Amelia," Rory answered as they scrambled off the bed.

They were on the landing when they saw Jess staring at the recently slammed front door in utter confusion.

"What just happened?" Lorelai demanded.

"I have no idea," Jess replied. "She got a phone call, she screamed, she ran out of here in her coat and pajamas."

Lorelai looked at her daughter. "You make very strange friends."

"Keeps life interesting."

"True. I'm going to get dressed so we can go to Luke's. Good morning, Jess."

"Morning," he said before she disappeared up the stairs. He met Rory on the bottom steps and said, "So?"

"So what?"

"Rory."

"Well, she's _actually_ going upstairs to call Taylor, and they'll have the gallows erected next to the gazebo as soon as we get to Luke's."

"Rory!"

She laughed at his exasperation and wrapped her arms around his neck. "She's okay with it. You should stop worrying so much. Besides, she's going to be stuck with you forever when she marries Luke."

Jess groaned.

"What?"

"I just realized we'll be cousins when they get married."

"That's true. Maybe we should move to Arkansas."

She giggled at the sickened look on Jess' face. She hugged him tightly and whispered, "City boy," in his ear.

"And proud," he whispered back, burying his face in her shoulder.

"Okay, you two, don't get a room," Lorelai teased as she bounded past them and down the stairs.

"That was fast."

"I'm quick when there's food involved," she replied, pulling on her coat. "Come on! Pip-pip!"

"Pip-pip?"

"I have no idead."

* * *

"Oh my God."

"You're bleeding."

"Do you still have all your teeth?"

"I'm really, really, really sorry," Amelia told them, quite out of breath.

"That's fine, sweetie, but why are you bleeding?" Lorelai asked the younger woman, stroking her arm comfortingly.

"I fell down. Twice. Concrete on face kind of hurts."

"Why are you freaking out?" Rory asked her.

"This," she answered, handing over the newspaper in her arms.

Lorelai and Jess crowded around Rory to see what Amelia had just given her. It was that morning's copy of _The New York Times_ and on the front page was a story about the previous night's festivities and a large picture of the crowd at Times Square. People on the edges were blurry, but the couple kissing in the center was in sharp focus as confetti fell around them like snow.

"Oh, Amelia, is this picture yours?" Lorelai asked, gushing slightly. "It's beautiful."

"It's us," Rory told her.

Lorelai's eyes widened as she examined the photo again. "That's _some_ kiss."

"I'm so sorry," Amelia continued, "but I was on some guy's shoulders and I saw you and it was so perfect and I didn't want to waste a great shot and it sort of looked like that picture from the end of the second world war because you were wearing that white hat and then I called my uncle—he works for the _Times_—and I met with one of the editors, but I thought it would be in like the local section, not the freaking front page, and I didn't want you guys to think I was using you to get the front page of the _Times_ because I wasn't, I genuinely care and I'm really, really, really sorry."

"Breathe," Lorelai reminded her.

"Are you sure she's not related to you?" Jess asked.

Rory elbowed him in the ribs and turned her attention back toward her friend. "It's okay, Amelia. You can barely even see our faces."

"That's because the other person's face is in the way."

Rory glared at her mother who, in turn, said, "I'm just saying, that's _some_ kiss."

"It's a beautiful photo, Amelia, and it's on the front page of the _New York Times_. You should be proud," Rory told her, handing back the paper.

"I guess," Amelia answered despondently.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Lorelai said, wrapping an arm around the younger woman. "I'll meet you guys later."

"Okay," Rory called back as she and Jess walked on.

"So, how many people do you think read the _Times_ around here?"

"Oh, they're probably going to find out we're together from Kirk who just turned and ran away when he saw you."

"I do have that effect on people."

"Around here, especially."

Rory's phone started ringing. She smiled when she pulled it out of her pocket. "It's Lane! Is it okay if—"

"Yeah, go ahead and take it. I'll go get us a table."

Rory headed for the gazebo as Jess jogged to Luke's door and stepped into the diner. He suppressed the urge to cringe when Miss Patty and Babette stopped talking to stare at him. He avoided eye contact as he hung up his jacket and walked to the counter--which had the only available seats--where Luke was already chuckling at him.

"What?"

"I just love how perennially popular you are around here."

"Whatever."

"So have the Gilmore women wised up and disowned you?"

"Rory got a call from Lane and Lorelai's taking Amelia home because she had a bloody nose."

"Why did Lorelai have a bloody nose?"

"Not Lorelai, Amelia."

"Why did Amelia have a bloody nose?"

"She fell down trying to get a copy of the _New York Times_ before Rory and I saw it."

"Why?"

"Because she took a picture of me and Rory kissing in Times Square and it's on the front page."

Luke nearly dropped his pad and pencil he was laughing so hard.

"What now?"

"I just never thought I'd see you on the front of a national newspaper for kissing a girl."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Luke," Jess replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Can I get two cups of coffee?"

"I guess," Luke answered, laughing and shaking his head.

"Hey," Rory said as she came in and sat down on the stool next to where Jess was standing. "So, Lane knows."

"You tell her?"

"No, actually her plane just landed at LaGuardia and she picked up a copy of the _Times_. She actually recognized you first and then she looked closer, saw it was me with you in the photograph, and that's when she called to see if I'd lost my mind, and why is it so quiet in here?"

"Because everyone is busy trying to figure out what the hell he's doing here and why you're within three feet of him," Luke explained as he set their coffee down in front of them.

"That makes sense," Rory concluded sipping from her cup.

"In this town, anything makes sense."

"Be nice," she said, nudging Jess playfully.

"Hey, the last time I slept, I was sitting up on a bus. I don't have to be nice to anyone."

"Speaking of sleep, Lane wanted us to have lunch with her and Zack, but I told her I would probably be sleeping through lunch, so she asked us to dinner tonight. I told her I'd check with you."

"Is she going to hassle me about wrecking your car?"

"She'll probably just talk about Europe and the twins."

"Then I'll be there."

"Good," Rory replied with a self-satisfied smile.

"He's back in town too early for the wedding."

Rory and Jess unconsciously held their breaths to better hear Miss Patty and Babette.

"Maybe he came back for her," Miss Patty suggested.

"But she is completely over him. Did you see that last hunk a handsome she was dating?" Babette asked.

Rory shifted uncomfortably.

"I heard that one proposed and she turned him down. She had to have some reason."

"She did. She had her whole career to think about. She didn't need to get tied to just one man"

"This isn't just a man, though. It's _Jess_. Everyone knows she never really got over him."

"What are you talkin' about? _He_ never really got over _her_."

"Maybe we're jumping to conclusions. We don't even know if they're _together_ together."

"They're holdin' hands."

Jess hadn't even realized his fingers were laced through Rory's until he heard what Babette said. He looked over and saw Rory smiling up at him. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Well, I guess that answers _that_ question," Miss Patty declared.

Rory and Jess both bit their lips to keep from laughing.

"Okay, Rory, here's your French toast," Luke said as he sat the plate down in front of her.

"But I didn't order."

"I have amazing psychic abilities. What do you want, Jess?"

"Are those bagels?" he asked incredulously, pointing at the display.

"Yes, they are."

"You have bagels now? Very big city."

"You want one, or not?"

"Do you toast them?"

"Yes."

"Wow. This place is turning into an actual restaurant."

Luke slammed a bagel down on a plate and shoved it at Jess before stomping toward the back. Jess smiled and said, "What? No cream cheese!"

Rory shook her head as he sat down next to her. "That was so mean."

"Hey, _they_ would be disappointed if I didn't cause some sort of trouble while I'm here," he answered quietly, jerking his head toward Miss Patty and Babette in the corner.

"Some people just never change," Babette said.

"See what I mean?" Jess asked sardonically.

Rory giggled as the bell chimed over the door.

"Yes, Mom, I heard you," Lorelai said into her phone.

"Hey, no cell phones!" Luke called from the kitchen.

"Don't I get any freebies for sleeping with the owner?" Lorelai called back. "Oh, Mom, please! They expect this from me around here. Yes, yes, I will talk to her. I'll talk to him, too. I know that, Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom! I think we have a bad connection. Happens out here in the boondocks. Bye!"

Lorelai dropped her phone on the counter and sat down on Rory's other side. "Coffee! Quickly!"

Luke emerged and poured Lorelai a large cup of coffee. "What's going on with your mom?" he asked.

"How did you know I was talking to my mother?"

"Probably had something to do with the six times you said 'Mom!' at the top of your lungs," Rory answered.

"Cute," Lorelai told her. "You know what tomorrow is, right?"

"The second day of a brand new year?" Rory answered hopefully.

"It's Friday."

"I know."

"Mom is insisting you come. And she wants to see you too."

"Me?" Jess asked.

"Well, she actually asked if that 'little hoodlum Rory used to see' was back in town, and I said yes, and she said she wanted you there too."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Emily Gilmore can be very tight-lipped when she wants to be."

"You think the front page of the _Times_ has anything to do with it?" Luke suggested.

"Lane recognized us," Rory said.

"Oh no," Lorelai moaned. "No offense to Lane, but if she noticed, there's _no_ way Mom didn't notice."

"Maybe I should get back at Amelia. Do you know any hit men?" she asked Jess.

"Sure, just let me get Little Tony on the phone," he answered sarcastically.

"I'll come too," Luke said. "Liz might get upset if her kid came out of the Gilmore house in pieces."

"Doubtful," Jess muttered, sipping his coffee.

"Well, great. Hopefully, we'll all live to see the third day of a brand new year."

* * *

A/N: well, i really liked this chapter, despite the fact that nothing really happens. thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Goodbye, Hello Best Friend

Still January 1st, 2009

He was surprised when he felt weight on the other side of the narrow bed and an arm draping across his torso. He snaked an arm beneath her shoulders and ran his fingers through her hair as she rested her head on his chest.

"Anyone know you're up here?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Nope," she answered. "Don't worry. Miss Patty and Babette already left."

"What about your mom?"

"Emergency at the Dragonfly, and I was too tired to walk home."

"Glad you came up here."

"So am I," she replied, snuggling closer to him.

* * *

"I heard Jess is back in town."

"Wow, Sookie, you've been in this kitchen all morning. How could you possibly hear about that?"

"You'd be amazed what goes in and out of those doors," Sookie told her best friend. "So are you okay with it, or are you waiting for Taylor and the rest of the town to run him out on a rail?"

"Rory's an adult now. She can live her own life the way she wants."

"Lorelai?" Sookie asked incredulously.

"I don't know what it is, Sook, but the kid just seems different," Lorelai explained. "You know, just in the short time I saw him this morning, the kid smiled at least twice. And I don't mean that smart-ass smirk of his, I mean a genuine smile."

"I can't really picture that."

"Neither could I until I actually saw it. I think he's really changed, Sookie, and I know Rory has. They might actually make it work this time."

"Well, you know everybody just wants Rory to be happy, and if her happiness depends on Jess, I think we can all learn to live with it. We'll never love him like we do her, but you get what I mean," Sookie explained.

"I do," Lorelai said, standing up from her usual stool. "Now, if another client throws a lamp at Michel, just let it kill him and call the police."

"Understood."

* * *

"Hey, kiddo, are you leaving us?"

"Yeah," Amelia answered, zipping up her duffel bag. "I think I'll spend the next couple of weeks chasing down superheroes with complicated Italian names."

"Huh?"

"Celebrities," Amelia explained, laughing. "It may be horrible and exploitive, but it's a really good living if you're any good at it."

"Amelia, can I be a mom for a second?" Lorelai asked her.

"I can't stop you."

"You just had a photo on the front page of the _New York Times_. That's a really big deal. You shouldn't have to go back to flogging pictures of celebrities to every magazine I subscribe to."

Amelia laughed lightly. "You know why I hang out with Rory so much?"

"No. Why?"

"Because I kind of hope that my kid would have wound up like her."

Lorelai cocked an eyebrow and said, "Explain."

"I was pregnant when I was sixteen."

"We must run in packs."

"My boyfriend disappeared, I miscarried, and got my GED at seventeen."

"That's…admirable," Lorelai concluded reluctantly. "How long ago was all of this?"

"Twelve years."

"You mean you're twenty-eight?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I still get carded regularly. I just started moving after all that crap happened. Did the paparazzi thing to pay for art school. I like moving around. It's part of who I am now. I don't think I'd really be able to stay in one place to do a job anyway. So, now that I've probably alienated the only close friend I've made in years, I figured I should leave."

"Oh, sweetie, you haven't alienated anyone," Lorelai assured her.

"Still, it's as good an excuse as any to move on. Don't worry. I'll be back after the inauguration."

"You know," Lorelai began, "this town is a little weird, but everyone can usually find a place here."

"Thanks."

"Stop by Luke's on your way out. Rory's probably still there. She'd want you to say goodbye."

"Okay, Mom," Amelia said with good-natured sarcasm as she walked toward her car.

* * *

"Rory, hey, wake up."

"What?" she grumbled as Jess rolled over and covered his head with the hood of his jacket.

"Amelia's leaving and she wants to say goodbye," Luke explained quietly. "By the way, sneaking up here while I was in the kitchen: very high school of you."

She rolled her eyes as she scooted off the bed and followed Luke down the stairs. Amelia was standing on the other side of the counter with her hands in her coat pockets.

"Hey, you're leaving?" Rory asked, shoving the curtain aside.

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop and see my parents before heading back to California."

"You don't have to go, you know."

"That's what your mom said, but it's time to move. I'll be back to pick you up for the inauguration."

"Well, be careful, okay?"

"I will," Amelia replied, hugging her friend.

"Bye."

"Bye."

As Amelia walked out another familiar figure walked in and Rory's face lit up.

"Lane!" she exclaimed, rushing to embrace her best friend.

"Hey!"

"When did you get back?"

"Just now. I wanted to come and see you. Make sure you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Hey, Rory, no shoes, no service," Luke threatened as he delivered plates to a nearby table.

Rory rolled her eyes and pulled Lane behind the curtain to the foot of the staircase. "So, why do you think I'm not okay?"

"You're kissing Jess on the front page of the _New York Times_."

"The _Times_ was not part of the plan."

"I didn't think so, but still, it's _Jess_."

"And?"

"And 'Heartache Tonight' is the only song on the soundtrack of your love story."

"That's unfair."

"I'm jet-lagged, it's the best I can do on short notice, but it's not inaccurate," Lane defended. "You two excel at driving stakes into each other's hearts. If it were an Olympic sport, you two would be the only contenders for the gold. You're my best friend, godmother to my children, and I will support you in everything you do short of mass murder, but if he's going to break your heart again, I'm not sure I want him in my house."

Rory smiled slightly and said, "That was a Lorelai-Gilmore-quality rant."

"I do try."

"Lane, I need you to trust me. Jess and I are starting over. We can't forget everything that's happened because that's just too much shit to hide under the sink, and we haven't done the cheesy 'hi, I'm Rory, hi, I'm Jess' thing, but we're giving it a chance. I'm asking you as my best friend to give us a chance too."

Lane sighed and said, "Okay. I'll see you guys at seven for dinner."

"Thanks, Lane," Rory said, hugging her friend.

When they said their goodbyes and the bell over the door tinkled at Lane's exit, Rory quietly up the stairs. She cocked her head curiously when she saw Jess on the landing in his bare feet. A crooked smile was firmly planted on his face.

Hands on hips, she asked, "How much did you hear?"

"Everything from 'Heartache Tonight.'"

"I'm sorry," she said, sitting down next to him.

He pasted on a fakely serious face as he replied, "Hi, I'm Jess."

She gave him a smirk and said, "Hi, I'm Rory."

He kissed her sweetly and she smiled even wider.

"Is that how you greet all the women you meet for the first time?" she asked slyly.

"Absolutely," he lied. "It's a system that works well for me."

She laughed lightly, and pulled him in, kissing him with one arm around his waist and the other around his neck.

"Kissing in the stairwell? Seriously?"

"Do you have a hidden radar somewhere?" Jess asked his uncle.

"No, just really, really bad timing."

* * *

"Well, that was fun," Rory concluded as she and Jess walked hand-in-hand down an empty Stars Hollow street.

"Yeah, it was," Jess agreed. "They have a great vinyl collection."

"It grew in Europe. I didn't know people could have that much music."

"Other than the RIAA, you mean?"

"Naturally. You were really cute with Christian on your lap."

"I'm sure it was extremely cute until I nearly lost an eye. Personally, I think Lane was hoping for that when she let him play her drums."

"You were very sweet to work the bass pedal for him."

"It's not like I could say no to a two-year-old with his mother giving me death glare worthy of _her_ mother."

"Ah, yes, Momma Kim could always put the fear of God in you."

"Momma Kim could put the fear of God in Philip Pullman."

Rory laughed as he draped an arm around her shoulders. "So, are you walking me home, or am I walking you home?"

"You could come home with me."

"Ha-ha. Very funny," he deadpanned.

"I'm serious."

"Your mother lives in your home."

"So does your uncle."

"You shouldn't have gone there. The whole cousin thing."

"They're not married yet."

"They will be."

"It's too late. You already walked me home."

"Damn this small town."

"Come on," Rory urged, pulling him up the steps of her porch.

"I hate you."

"Save the 'I hate yous' for tomorrow night after dinner with the Gilmores."

"You know I don't hate you, right?"

"I know," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing on her toes to kiss him.

The front door opened and they broke apart suddenly.

"Now I'm thinking hidden camera instead of radar."

"Oh, yes, all I really want to do is watch the two of you kiss on the front porch, in the stairwell, and sleep together in my apartment," Luke told them.

"What was that last thing?" Lorelai called from inside the house.

"Nothing," Luke lied. "Come on in. It's freezing out here."

Despite the invitation, Rory still had to pull Jess into the house. Lorelai jumped up from the couch and hugged her daughter. She looked over at Jess and joked, "Did Lane throw you out?"

"She threw us both out," Rory told her. "She wanted the kids to go to bed early."

"Well, we don't go to bed early around here. Come on. We're watching _8 Men Out_!"

Rory and Jess eyed Luke curiously. "Don't look at me," he told them with raised hands.

They all sat in the living room for the next hour or so. Luke fell asleep ten minutes before the end. Lorelai had to smack him with his hat to get him awake enough to follow her up the stairs. When they were gone, Rory and Jess moved to the couch from the floor and wrapped their arms around one another.

"Wanna watch another movie?"

"Not really."

"Wanna do something else," she asked seductively.

"We should probably talk."

"But we talked the whole drive back from New York and for hours after that."

"Rory."

"Fine, you're right. We should probably talk."

"So…how is this going to work?"

"I'm don't know, but I'm sure love will keep us together."

"You do know the Captain and Tennille broke up?"

"We're not really talking, are we?"

"No, we're not."

"Can't we just ignore the elephant?"

"No. Ignored elephants require a lot of clean-up."

"Well, it's complicated right now."

"It's always been complicated."

"It's more so because I don't really have a plan for what happens after the inauguration."

"No plan? You? No!"

"Shut up," she replied, smacking him playfully.

"Come on, Rory. I know you. You have to have some sort of plan."

"I've sent out some inquiries and my résumé to a few places, but I haven't heard anything back yet."

"Where are you thinking you'll go?"

"I don't know. Fortunately, I'm surrounded by half the major cities in the country from right here."

Jess chuckled lightly.

"What?" she asked him.

"Nothing. It's just that you wanted to be reporting from warzones in, like, Darfur, and the only jobs you want are close enough so you can still come to Stars Hollow on the weekends."

"Well…there's no place like home."

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home," he mimicked.

"It's a good place."

"Matter of opinion."

"It's where I met you."

"Where I met you."

"See, I told you it's a good place."

"Monumental," he joked before kissing her again.

"You know that elephant is probably feeling awfully neglected right now," she said when he broke away for a moment.

"I think he can wait for a while."

"How do you know it's a he? It could be a she."

He cocked an incredulous eyebrow and she giggled in return. "Come on," she said, standing and pulling him to his feet.

When he realized she was leading him toward her bedroom, he pulled back on her hand and said, "Rory, I—"

"It's okay, Jess," she assured him. "We don't have to do anything. Just hold me. Please?"

She looked up at him with pleading eyes and he shook his head, smiling slightly. "The puppy dog eyes. Really?"

"It's a system that works well for me," she told him as he allowed her to lead him into her bedroom.

* * *

January 2nd, 2009

Lorelai grumbled when she looked at the clock and it said, 5:30. Since Luke moved in, again, she hadn't been able to sleep past 6:00. It was obviously the price she had to pay for agreeing to marry a man that owns a diner. She forgave him a little when the rich scent of fresh coffee reached her nostrils. Cheerily, she threw off the covers and padded down the stairs. She stopped short when she saw Jess pouring a cup of coffee wearing just his jeans and white t-shirt and no shoes.

"You're not my fiancée."

"Thank God for that. I look terrible in flannel."

Lorelai unceremoniously took the cup from Jess' hands and took a sip. "So I guess you slept here last night?"

"I just slept, okay?" he said, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

"Sit," she ordered.

"Okay," he replied slowly, following her directions.

"Listen up," she began, "I've already told Rory this, so I'm going to tell you: if this ends--and I do say if because I'm really, really hoping this will be an if and not a when situation—I want this to be a permanent sort of ending."

"Meaning?"

"You either better be married or dead, well, not necessarily dead, but very out of our lives. And the fact that you're Luke's only nephew is not going to have any effect on this decision should the situation in question arise. Do you understand my terms?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Lorelai."

"I'm allowed to call you Lorelai?"

"Yes, you are."

"I'm moving up in the world."

"Apparently, you are. Can I give you a piece of advice about tonight?"

"Shoot."

"Shave."

"Okay."

"And don't show up with a black eye."

"I think I can handle that."

"Ooo, do you have a Ramones t-shirt?"

"Uh…somewhere."

"Wear it tonight. It would really annoy my mother."

"You _want_ me to annoy your mother?"

"Of course. She's reconciled herself to the fact that I'm marrying a lowly diner owner, so now I have to have a whole new tactic to annoy her with consistently."

"You have a very strange family."

"Of course we do. Why else would we have let you in?"

* * *

"Hey, you, grab a pot and start refilling coffees."

"Good morning to you too, Uncle Luke," Jess replied sarcastically before shrugging off his jacket and grabbing a coffee pot.

When everyone was sufficiently caffeinated, Jess joined Lane behind the counter.

"What's with Luke this morning?"

"Caesar called in sick at ten 'til six this morning."

"Ah."

"You weren't upstairs this morning."

"Nope."

"Were you with Rory?"

"Yeah."

"You're not even going to bother telling me it's none of my business?"

"You're her best friend so it would end up being your business anyway."

"Very astute."

"I'm smarter than the average bear."

"So, what are you wearing to dinner with the Gilmores tonight?"

"I haven't really thought about it because I'm not a girl, but Lorelai said she wanted me to wear a Ramones t-shirt."

"She wants you to annoy her mother, doesn't she?"

"Yep."

"Don't wear the Ramones t-shirt."

"Pretty sure it's still in Philly."

"Then what are you wearing?"

"I don't know!"

"Fine!"

Jess watched in confusion as Lane ran up the stairs.

"Where'd Lane go?" Luke asked, emerging from the kitchen.

"I don't know."

"Is that the only thing you know how to say today?"

"Shut up."

"Well, you've always been good at saying that one."

The bell above the door tinkled lightly, signaling Rory's entrance. Several people in the diner greeted her and she returned with a smile and a wave. She sat down at the counter, smiling contentedly while Jess poured her a cup of coffee.

"So, do I vaguely remember someone kissing me before saying they were going to Luke's?"

"You should."

"Can I get a kiss that I can more than just vaguely remember?"

"Only if you're sure you want to kiss me in public before noon."

"We were photographed kissing on the front page of the _New York Times_. Pretty sure it doesn't get much more public than that."

"Very true."

"Okay, break it up," Luke said when their kiss lasted longer than ten seconds.

"I officially hate you," Jess told him.

"What else is new? What do you want, Ror: pancakes or French toast?"

"Pancakes, please."

"Coming right up."

When Luke disappeared into the kitchen once more, Rory reached across the counter and twined her fingers with Jess'.

"Did I hear you talking to Mom this morning?"

"Thought you were asleep."

"I sort of was. Why did you get up so early?"

"I have to back in Philly to make sure everyone else gets up before the crack of noon."

"You mean you're the responsible one?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Just a little. It does kind of explain why Mom's warming up to you, though."

"Well, it only took, what, eight years?"

"You're much cuddlier now."

"Yeah, I'm a regular teddy bear."

"You have no clothes! Hey, Rory."

"Hey, Lane," Rory said to her friend who just emerged from behind the curtain.

"What are you talking about?" Jess asked her.

"You have _one_ button-up shirt, and it's got a funky design on one shoulder."

"And?"

"And apparently the only pair of pants you thought to bring with you are the jeans you're wearing."

"I didn't really put a lot of thought into packing."

"Obviously. Come on. I'm putting you in some decent clothes."

"Lane!" Rory and Jess called out as they watched her pull on her coat.

Rory continued, "Lane, you don't have to do anything. I don't really care what my grandmother thinks."

"I know that, but your grandmother is the only person in the world who comes anywhere close to being as scary as my mother, and if he shows up looking like a bum, there will be blood."

"I do not look like a bum."

"You're being dramatic."

"No, I'm being realistic," Lane replied, tossing Jess his coat. "I'm your best friend. Trust me, I'm doing you a favor."

"Can't you stop her?" Jess asked Rory.

"Nope. She can be very determined when she wants to be."

"Come on already!" Lane said, grabbing Jess' wrist and pulling him out from behind the counter. "Luke, we'll be back in a couple of hours!"

"Help! I'm being kidnapped by a crazy Korean!"

"Keep it up, Chachi, and I stick my drumsticks where the sun don't shine."

Rory laughed and shook her head as the door closed behind them. Luke emerged from the kitchen, surprised to find he had no help.

"Where'd they go?"

"Lane decided Jess had nothing to wear for dinner tonight and dragged him out to put him in some decent clothes."

"Huh," Luke concluded before setting a coffee pot down in front of her. "Here, refill some coffee cups."

* * *

"What the hell?"

Jess rolled his eyes and replied, "You really suck at greetings, Luke."

"Lane do all this to you?"

"Uh-huh."

Rory appeared behind Luke and her eyes widened when she saw Jess on the porch. "Hey," she said, taking in his sky blue button-down tucked into black flat-front pants and a Navy style black belt with a silver buckle. He was even wearing shiny black shoes.

"Okay, if you're going to do this, I'm going back inside," Luke said before shutting the door on them.

"You look nice."

"So do you."

"Thanks," Rory replied, smoothing her black skirt. "I love the shirt. I should send Lane a thank you note."

"Actually, _I_ picked out the shirt."

"Nice work," she told him, slipping her hand beneath his open collar and settling on the nape of his neck.

"I am learning," he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

They kissed and forgot about the Connecticut chill. They didn't hear anything until Lorelai's voice broke through saying, "I thought you said Jess was here? Where is he? Is he behind this guy Rory's making out with?"

"Hello, Lorelai," Jess replied, one arm still around Rory's waist.

"Hello, Jess. Thank you for shaving and not having a black eye. Here's your coat, sweets."

Jess chivalrously helped Rory into her coat as Lorelai "awwwed" teasingly. Luke just rolled his eyes and urged them to hurry up. As Jess and Rory stepped off the porch first, Lorelai called out, "Dead man walking!"

The younger couple turned and glared, to which Lorelai just grinned.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so you were probably hoping to see dinner with the Gilmores this chapter, but everything else just kept getting in the way. Hope you enjoyed it. Any questions, just PM me. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6: Emily and Elephants

"You're late," Emily told them as soon as she opened the door.

"Hi, Mom. Good to see you too," Lorelai replied with characteristic sarcasm.

"Well, stop standing out in the cold and come in. Rory, I'm glad you made it back from Manhattan safely. Lorelai, how are the wedding plans proceeding?"

"Fine," Lorelai answered, as they followed her mother into the sitting room.

"Is something wrong? She doesn't seem mad or anything," Jess whispered.

"It's either really good, or really, really, _really_ bad," Lorelai answered.

"Not comforting."

"Not supposed to be."

"I don't recognize you, so you must be Jess," Richard said, standing from his customary chair and shaking the younger man's hand.

"Yes, sir, I am."

"Miss Manners would be proud," Rory whispered to him.

"Shut up," he muttered back through clenched teeth.

"What can I get you to drink?"

"I, uh…"

"Scotch. He'll have scotch," Luke interjected. "Me, too."

"Jess Mariano, lost for words. I like it," Rory whispered to him.

"Please stop," he begged.

"Girls, what'll you have?"

"Martini with a twist."

"Me too, please."

"Coming right up."

"Jess, I'm sure you're wondering why we asked you here tonight," Emily said, sitting down across from the Stars Hollow contingent. "After your last performance with us, _I_ certainly didn't expect to be extending another invitation."

"Grandma!"

"It's okay, Rory," Jess told her.

"I actually asked Emily to find out whether or not you were in the area," Richard explained to Jess. "I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your book."

"You read my book?"

"He couldn't have enjoyed it otherwise."

"Mom!"

"Well, it took me three years, but I did finally finish it."

"That bad, huh?"

"No, not at all," Richard replied cheerily as he passed out the drinks. "I first picked it up three years ago when Rory lived with us. She left it here for a while."

"I see," Jess said, looking at Rory.

"I came back for it the next day," she defended.

"And while I looked everywhere for another copy, it took me three years to find one," Richard continued. "I finally found a copy in November on a business trip in Philadelphia at a little bookstore called…Truncheon, I believe. The young man who sold me the book was quite giggly, but very polite. I believe his name was Mike."

"Was he baked?" Rory whispered to Jess.

"Probably," Jess replied quickly under his breath.

"Any plans for another book?"

"I—"

"Oh, this is ridiculous."

"Emily?"

"You might want to duck. The shit is about to hit the fan," Lorelai stage whispered to Rory and Jess.

"Lorelai, your language," her father admonished.

"Are you two seriously going to sit there and pretend nothing is going on?" Emily directed that question pointedly toward Rory and Jess.

"We're not pretending anything, Grandma."

"What on earth are you talking about, Emily?"

"What am I talking about, Richard?" she returned sarcastically as she tossed a folded paper down on the coffee table in front of her husband. "_That's_ what I'm talking about."

"Oh, yes," Richard said, cheerfully picking up the paper. "Rory, I was meaning to ask you: isn't this Amelia Davidson photographer woman a friend of yours?"

"Yes, Grandpa, she is."

"This is quite artful work," Richard commented. "She has a bright future ahead of her."

"I'll be sure to tell her you said so."

"Richard!"

Lorelai snorted, then giggled, then started laughing uncrontrollably.

"This is not a laughing matter, Lorelai."

"Are you kidding? This is hilarious."

"Rory, how could you do something so foolish? How could you do this to us?"

"I haven't done anything to you!"

"What is she supposed to have done?"

"She's kissing this boy on the front page of _The New York Times_!"

"Really?" Richard asked, picking up the paper with new interest.

"Lorelai, how could you let this happen?"

"Me? Rory's a grown woman!"

"You're still her mother!"

"Yeah, but I'm not you!"

"You know he's always been a bad influence on her!"

"Hey!" Rory shouted, standing up and facing her grandmother. "I never got a criminal record when I was with Jess! I wouldn't have gone back to Yale if it wasn't for him!"

"Really?"

Rory smiled at Jess softly, and replied, "Yeah, really."

"I cannot believe you are talking like this," Emily said, marching out of the sitting room, Rory following close behind.

"Well, that worked out about as well as I thought it would," Lorelai said, sipping her martini.

"So, Jess," Richard began, "I was wondering, who are some of your influences?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not meaning to rain on your parade, Jess, but, Dad, you're asking the guy about his writing influences when Mom is having a meltdown over him kissing your granddaughter on the front page of the _Times_," Lorelai reminded him.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is a picture of a young man and woman kissing away the troubles of an old year," Richard replied. "Frankly, I can't even tell who it is. Now, Jess, I sense Hemingway has had an influence on you."

"Uh, yeah, you could say that…"

* * *

"Grandma, what is wrong with you? None of your friends in the DAR are going to know who it was in that picture."

"Rory, I thought when this election business was over, you would reconsider some of your past decisions."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that you would look for a _real_ job and a _real_ man to spend your life with. I was appalled when your grandfather asked me to invite that boy for dinner, and absolutely horrified when I saw the paper. A year away from your mother has certainly not made you any less like her."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You still make rash decisions without a second thought to what they would mean to the people who really care about you."

"Jess really cares about me!"

"How could you possibly think that?"

"I don't think it! I know it!" she screamed back. "And, if you're so smart, I'll just leave you to figure it out yourself!"

Rory stomped out of the foyer and into the night air. Jess quickly excused himself, grabbed their coats from the coat tree and followed her into the driveway.

"Hey, what just happened?" he asked, draping her coat over her shivering shoulders.

"Nothing," she answered. "It was just Grandma being Grandma."

"On the bright side, I think your grandfather likes me."

"Grandpa likes smart people."

"Good to know I'm smart people."

She wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her head on his chest as he held her close.

"Well, that was fun," Lorelai said as she walked out the door, pulling on her gloves.

"It was a disaster," Rory replied still holding onto Jess.

"For you, maybe, but it was fun for me, and he didn't even wear his Ramones t-shirt!"

"Huh?"

"Don't ask."

"I'm hungry."

"Of course you are," Luke told his fiancée as he pulled on his coat. "Lucky for you I told Caesar to have food waiting for us."

"Oh ye of little faith," Rory quoted.

"Hey, those of little faith get food. C'mon."

* * *

"Oh, sweetie, I knew there were reasons I love you," Lorelai said, her mouth half full of cheeseburger.

"And if I didn't cook?"

"Would you still make coffee?"

"Probably not."

"Then I would leave you in the street in nothing but your ball-cap."

"That could get cold."

"I know, but I would eventually forgive you and take you upstairs to warm you up."

"Ugh. I've officially lost my appetite," Jess muttered.

"Hey, Mom, do you remember the Gilmore rules where you wouldn't flaunt your relationships in front of me? Do you think maybe we could go back to that?"

"Hmm," Lorelai said as though she was thinking about it, "nope, don't think so."

"Drat."

"Tough.

They fell into comfortable conversation until Lorelai finished the last of her coffee. "Okay," she said, standing up. "It's late, we should go."

"It's nine o'clock," Luke argued.

"You get up at five. It's late."

"Well, I have to clean up."

"Jess can do that."

"But—"

"Luke. Sweetie. Come on. Now. Please."

"Huh? Oh," he replied, realization finally dawning. "Don't forget to lock up."

Jess shook his head as Lorelai dragged her fiancé out by the elbow. "Subtlety is not your mother's strong suit."

"Luke's not that great at it either," Rory pointed out. "So, I think I can see that elephant over by the store room."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, turning in his chair to face her.

"Yeah, he keeps waving his trunk at me."

"I have to go back to Philly on Sunday," he told her.

"Well, right now I'm sort of living week-to-week with work, but after the inauguration, I should have something more permanent. I could probably come to Philly next weekend."

"I'd like that."

"Will you—"

"No, not running up the steps with you."

"Curmudgeon."

"Ooo, big word."

"I like being with someone that understands them," she said, sliding onto his lap. "Hey, Jess, you have friends and roommates, right?"

"Hey, I may be a _curmudgeon_, but I'm not Scrooge."

"Do-do they know about me? Do they know about us and all our…baggage?"

"Let me get Socratic on you and ask you how much Amelia knows about us and all our…baggage?"

"Eh, I was drunk when I told her, so probably…everything."

"Same here," he told her chuckling lightly.

"Really? You were drunk?"

"Off my ass."

"Good to know I'm not alone," she said before pressing her mouth to his.

The sound of voices broke them apart and they looked up to find Miss Patty and Taylor arguing in the middle of the street. Taylor was motioning angrily toward them when Miss Patty noticed the horrified expressions of the young couple. She waved and pushed Taylor down the street against his will.

"Well, that was…"

"Weird."

"Uncomfortable."

"Mildly terrifying."

"What were they arguing about?"

"Taylor probably wants to burn you at the stake, and Miss Patty was probably trying to talk him out of it because I obviously love having you around."

They kissed again until a scream pierced the air. Rory and Jess looked out to see Kirk running across the square.

"What _did_ I do to these people?"

"You were James Dean when they wanted Ron Howard."

"Aren't you glad? If I were Ron Howard, I wouldn't still have my hair."

"And it's great hair. So, tomorrow, we can just spend the day together. You and me, no nosy friends, no overbearing grandparents, just us."

"Sure you won't get sick of me?"

"Pretty sure."

They looked at one another for a short eternity. Rory made the first move and got up from his lap.

"I should probably go."

"Yeah, probably," he reluctantly agreed.

He helped her with her coat and kissed her, standing on the door. Rory stepped back before she couldn't make herself leave. "I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered before bolting down the street.

* * *

"This is nice," Lane commented as she snuggled into Zack's embrace.

"It would be nicer in the bedroom," he replied suggestively.

"It would, wouldn't it?"

"Um-hmm."

A loud knock at the door interrupted their kiss. "Oh, if that's John, he is going to die," Zack threatened.

Lane opened the door to Rory's frantic face. "I want to have sex with Jess."

"Okay," Lane replied.

"I'm going…some place else," Zack said, turning off the TV and retreating to the back of the house.

"Come on," Lane said, motioning her friend to sit down on the couch.

"Did you hear what I said?" Rory asked, still frantic.

"Yes, I did, and it's sort of like saying that it's dark outside," Lane answered, sitting down next to her best friend on the couch.

"Lane, how can you say that? It's only been like two days."

"It's been seven years, and you know it."

"Why the change of heart? You thought I'd lost my mind yesterday."

"That was before today," Lane explained. "He let your best friend dress him up, he endured dinner with the Gilmores…"

"Actually, he didn't endure dinner with the Gilmores. None of us did."

"Well, he volunteered. And that shirt he picked out, he picked that color because it matches your eyes."

"He told you that?"

"He said it under his breath, but he still said it out loud."

"That's so sweet."

"Yes, it is, and I approved the shirt because I figured it would be easy for you to rip off of him."

"Lane!"

"Sweetie, we _all_ know it's building up to this. You might as well just get it over with."

"What does _all_ mean?"

"Half the state of Connecticut, excluding Kirk Gleason, assorted people in New York, Philadelphia, and your friend Amelia, wherever she is."

"Oh, God," Rory moaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Rory, do you want him?"

"Yes," she finally admitted.

"Then go rip that new shirt off of him so I can rip the shirt off of my own husband."

"Lane!"

"Go already!"

"I'm going! I'm going!" Rory replied as she rushed out the door.

"So…did I hear something about you ripping off my shirt?"

Lane smiled up at her husband and replied, "Oh, yeah."

* * *

Jess dropped the copy of _Amerika_ he was reading when he heard the door downstairs slam. He was out of the chair and at the door of the apartment when Rory burst through, out of breath.

"Rory, what—"

She didn't let him finish the question. She simply grabbed his face and crushed her mouth to his. He didn't push her away, but wrapped his arms around her, closing any gap between their bodies. When she finally allowed them to breathe, he asked, "What was that for?"

"You know that elephant we took care of earlier?"

"Yeah."

"He has a brother."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and his name is sex."

"I think we may have taken the elephant metaphor a little too far."

"Probably."

"Rory?"

"Jess, we wasted so much time. I just…I want to be with you."

He made no reply but to kiss her softly and close the door.

* * *

A/N: So, this one was a bit shorter, but it covered a lot of ground. Hope you enjoyed it.


	7. Chapter 7: Deja Vu

"Lor, hey, Lor, wake up."

Lorelai slapped the air in the general direction of her fiancé's voice. "Go away!" she yelled from underneath the pillow she had over her face.

"Rory's not in her room," Luke told her frantically. "I went downstairs to make you coffee, her door was still open and she wasn't in there."

"Oh, relax."

"Relax? Lorelai, Rory is missing!"

"Stop being so dramatic. She's not missing. She's with Jess."

"In _my_ apartment?"

"Well, I certainly hope they're not in the street," Lorelai replied, sitting up in the bed. "They'd catch hypothermia and they'd probably get arrested too."

"How are you taking this so lightly?"

"Sweetie, come here," she said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down to sit next to her. "Aren't you the one who said blind sea mammals in Turkey know that Rory and Jess are supposed to be together?"

"I did, yeah, but, I don't know. I love them both like they were my own kids."

"I know."

"If they get hurt this time…it'll be so much worse. And I don't know whose side I'd pick."

"Then we'll just have to be Finland."

"Finland?"

"Yeah, aren't they always neutral?"

"I think you mean Sweden."

"Eh, are you sure? Maybe it's Switzerland!"

"I still think it's Sweden."

"Well, then we'll just have to be all of Scandinavia."

"I guess," Luke relented.

"It'll be okay, baby," she told him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I promise."

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the windows, waking Rory from her perfect sleep. The noise of clanking plates and the clock on the wall told her the six o'clock crowd was downstairs. Jess breathed evenly onto the back of her neck. His right arm was draped over her body protectively and his fingers entwined with her left hand. His own left arm encircled her thin frame and held her close to his chest.

"Are you awake?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah."

"How long do you think before Luke can't stand it anymore and comes up here to yell at me?"

"Eh, well, he's still dealing with the six o'clock crowd, so it'll be a while," she assured him.

"Good, cause I just want to lay here."

She turned around to face him and said, "_Just_ lay here?"

"Well, maybe not _just_ lay here," he replied, leaning into her and pressing his lips to hers.

"Holy crap!"

"Jesus Christ!"

"Lane!" Rory cried, pulling the sheets up around her chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Caesar's last spatula broke and I came up to get the spare and Luke was yelling at me to stop, and I didn't know why at the time, but now I do and I'm really, really sorry, but I'm very happy for you. Bye!"

The door slammed, and Jess said, "She didn't get the spatula."

"Give it a second."

As if on cue, Lane reappeared, grabbed a spatula from the counter, apologized again, and ran back out.

"I just remembered why I hate this town."

"Why is that?"

"Nobody ever locks the doors."

"It's a bad habit to be in when you're naked."

Jess laughed and kissed her softly. "You think we should get up now?"

"Probably."

"I guess I'll go downstairs and get my lecture for corrupting you."

"Bring me back some coffee."

"Is that all you want out of life?"

"Occasionally I also want chocolate."

"Crazy woman."

"But that's why you love me."

"Yeah, it is," he answered sincerely before buttoning his jeans and pulling on a t-shirt as he walked out the door.

"Hey," Jess said a minute later as he walked out from behind the curtain.

"Hey, yourself," Luke replied as Jess poured two cups of coffee.

"You mad?"

"That you slept with Rory? No, not at all."

"Could you say that louder? I don't think the town loner heard you."

"Jess, you're not kids anymore. I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to, and, while I think you're going too fast, apparently no one else does, so…"

"So?"

"Take the coffee up to the girl before it gets cold."

Jess grinned as he placed a chocolate-iced donut on a plate. He carefully picked up the mugs and the plate before stepping behind the curtain and up the stairs.

Rory opened the door to find Jess in the middle of attempting to work a doorknob while balancing two coffee mugs and a donut.

She laughed and said, "Now that's just stubborn."

"Will you take something before it all falls to the ground?"

Still giggling, she took the donut and one of the mugs from him. He caught himself leering at her as she walked back to the bed. She was hearing his shirt from last night and it really did match her eyes. He sipped his coffee as he sat down next to her.

"Thanks for the chocolate donut," she said between bites.

"Well, he didn't have chocolate cake at six-thirty in the morning."

"Thanks for indulging my craziness."

"Anytime."

"Jess?"

"Yeah."

"Is my craziness the only reason you love me?"

"It's one of many reasons I love you."

"So…you love me?"

"I never stopped," he replied, meeting her eyes only briefly before looking out the window.

She silently took the cup from his hand before crawling into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay," he told her.

"Thanks," she replied, barely above a whisper.

* * *

"You know, this isn't what I thought you meant when you said you wanted to spend the day together."

"Oh, it wasn't, but you don't mind, do you?"

"God, no!" he answered, flipping them around so Rory was on her back.

A fist beat on the apartment door and Luke's voice called out, "Okay, you two, I've gotta do payroll, so vacate!"

"Well, at least he didn't just storm in."

"They're all improving," Rory said. "I guess I'll go home and change my clothes."

"Yeah, you want to meet somewhere?"

"Sure. Great," Rory replied, zipping up her skirt.

"Where do you want to meet?"

"You're smart. You can figure it out."

"Rory," he whined.

"Bye," she said before quickly kissing him and disappearing out the door.

* * *

"Hey, sweets! Have fun?"

Rory dropped her coat by the door and sat down next to her mother on the couch. "I just had a lot of fun."

"I don't need details."

"That's good because I'm not sharing."

"There was a time you'd tell me everything."

"That time has passed."

"You happy, baby?"

"Yes, I am. He told me he loved me."

"Really? Did he drive off right after he said it?"

"No."

"That boy is definitely improving."

"I should take a shower before I change. I promised I'd meet him in a little while."

"If you're going out in public, I wouldn't suggest having too much fun. You don't need another arrest on your record."

"Mom!"

"Just making sure you still listen occasionally."

* * *

Rory smiled when she saw Jess waiting for her on the bridge.

"You figured it out."

"Yeah, well, you're not as mysterious as you think you are."

"Awww, and here I was thinking I was Agatha Christie."

"You haven't arrived yet, Miss Gilmore," he teased, joining his hands behind her back.

She stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Missed you."

"It's been an hour. How are we going to make it through weeks at a time?"

"Well, we've made it through years at a time."

"We weren't speaking then."

"Did it make it any easier?"

"Not really," he answered with a smirk.

She kissed him again and said, "So what do we do now?"

"Come on," he said, smiling and taking her hand.

* * *

"What do you think of this fabric for the runners?"

"Why do we have to have runners?"

"It's a wedding. You have to have runners at a wedding."

"Why don't we just elope?"

"I suggested that once, but that was then and this is now, so do you like this fabric or not?"

"It's pink."

"Yes, it is."

"I don't like pink."

"Well, tough, because I love it."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I wanted to make sure you felt included."

"Feel free to make me feel unincluded," Luke said, turning on the TV.

Lorelai rolled her eyes as the phone rang. She stood the bolt of fabric next to the wall and picked up the receiver without looking at the caller ID and said, "Gilmore residence, but Luke Danes lives here too, Lorelai speaking."

"Mom?"

"Hey, babe, I didn't think I'd be hearing from you anymore today."

"I need you to not freak out."

"Oh my God!"

"What?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm having a very strong sense of déjà vu over here!"

"What's going on?" Luke asked while Lorelai motioned for him to be quiet.

"Mom, it wasn't Jess's fault."

"That's what you said the last time."

"He wasn't even driving! We got hit by a drunk driver. If it makes you feel better, Jess is getting stitches right now."

"Okay, okay, sweetie, are you guys just down at County?"

"Yeah."

"We're on our way."

"Thanks, Mom, I love you."

"Love you too, baby."

She hung up the phone and looked at her expectant fiancé. "Rory and Jess are at the hospital."

"What? Why?" he asked, following Lorelai as she threw him his coat.

"Drunk driver hit them. C'mon!"

* * *

"Can you give us a description of the driver?"

"Not much. I didn't really see his face."

"The owner of the car reported it stolen, so anything you could tell us would be helpful."

"He was kind of lanky, had brownish hair, seemed young. I thought he stumbled away because he was drunk, but I guess he could have been hurt," she told the officer. "My boyfriend might have seen more."

"He the dark-haired kid with the busted head that came in with you?"

"That's him."

"Thanks for your help, Ms. Gilmore."

Lorelai and Luke rushed in as the police officer rushed out. "Oh my God, honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah. My shoulder was dislocated, but they relocated it for me. I have to wear this brace thingy for a week, and the pain medicine is making me fuzzy, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Can I hug you?"

"Sure, just not too tight."

Lorelai carefully hugged her daughter, avoiding her injured right side, and sat down next to her on the examination table. Luke leaned on the door jamb with his arms folded across his chest.

"So, who was it?" he asked.

"I don't know. I didn't see his face."

"Did you recognize the car?"

"No."

"Did Jess see anything?"

"Luke, stop interrogating her."

"I don't know if he saw anything or not," Rory answered. "That police officer is talking to him now. He's just two doors down if you want to go talk to him."

When Luke disappeared down the hall, Rory looked at her mother and said, "He's freaking out more than you are, or, you know, freaking out for Luke."

Lorelai laughed and brushed some hair behind Rory's ear. "Sweetie, do you remember when you and Dean broke up that first time, before Jess even showed up?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember Luke getting into a wrestling match with Dean in the street just so you wouldn't have to see him in the diner?"

"Yes," Rory answered, smiling and blushing at the memory.

"He loves you, honey, and not just in the overly-protective, takes a village kind of way the rest of Stars Hollow loves you. He wanted to be there to protect you in a way that Christopher never could," Lorelai explained. "And now he has extra reasons because he's marrying Mommy and Jess, his nephew, is hurt too. Luke's got plenty of reasons to be freaking out."

"You're right, I guess."

"Alright, come on. Let's get you out of here."

* * *

"So you didn't see anything?"

"I don't really remember much about him except that he was tall."

"Can you give me an estimate on the height?"

"Six feet, maybe taller."

"And that's all you remember?"

"Well, I did hit my head," Jess told him, pointing to the stitches above his right eyebrow.

"Fine," the officer said, sighing. "Give us a call if you remember anything else."

Jess turned to find his uncle standing in the doorway, looking at him dubiously.

"You okay?"

"Just peachy."

"Is that really all you saw: some tall guy?"

"Could you give it a rest?" Jess asked, pulling his damaged jacket on while carefully avoiding the stitches in his forearm.

"No, Jess, if you know something about this, you should tell the police."

"I can't tell the police."

"Why not?"

"I tell the police and Rory finds out."

"Why is it a problem that Rory finds out?"

Jess sighed and stared down at his shoes.

"Wait a second. Tall guy?"

"Yeah."

"Do you mean—"

"Yeah."

"You're seriously going to sit there and protect him?"

"I'm standing and I'm not protecting _him_."

"Well, you might have to protect him from me."

"Leave it alone, Luke."

"Hey guys, ready to go?" Lorelai asked them from the doorway.

"Sure, we're ready," Jess answered.

* * *

A/N: Happy update! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoy all of your reviews and alerts.


	8. Chapter 8: A Dad and a Dean

Jess' friend Chris owed Mike fifty dollars upon Jess arrival back in Philadelphia. He was smiling, which meant he got laid, which meant Chris lost. Jess talked to Rory everyday and went to the doctor to make sure his cuts weren't infected.

"When's the girl getting here?" Mike asked on Friday afternoon.

"Probably around two in the morning," Jess answered, shelving another armful of books.

"Why is she getting in so late?"

"She's having dinner with her grandparents. It's a weekly occurrence."

"She likes her grandparents that much?"

"She's obligated to her grandparents that much."

"We gonna get to meet her?"

"Since you sleep on our floor, I'm sure you will."

"My place is being fumigated."

"Your place has been being fumigated for three months. Holy shit."

"Well, that's a weird way to end the conversation," Mike said as they rounded the corner.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"That is so not a way to greet a customer, dude," Mike said, motioning toward the dark-haired, ragged-looking, tan man smirking with his hands in his pockets.

"He's not a customer."

"How do _you_ know? I might be a customer."

"Excuse me, but you have to have a job to have money to be a customer, and since you're on the wrong side of the country, I'm betting you have neither."

"Did you ever think that maybe I'm here because I wanted to see my son?"

"Dude, this is your dad?"

"Get out of here, Mike."

"Okay."

When his friend was gone, Jess took another step forward and said, "What are you doing here, Jimmy?"

"I wanted to see how my son was doing."

"Bullshit."

"You wrote a book and didn't tell me."

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"I read it."

"Glad you got past 'see Dick and Jane run.'"

"You have some serious issues, kid."

"Gee, I wonder why?"

"You ever talk to your mother?"

"Occasionally," Jess answered, turning and walking away from the other man.

"So you can talk to that drunk bitch, but you can't talk to me?" Jimmy asked, following close behind.

"She's not like that anymore."

"So, Liz can change and I can't?"

"You left me," Jess said, angrily turning on Jimmy.

"She kicked you to the curb. Even her sainted brother gave up on you."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, I get it," Jimmy said as Jess started to walk away again. "You've gotta girl in that stupid town again don't you? That's why you're all defensive about the freaks in Stars Hell."

"You don't know anything."

"I know women, Jess. First they fuck with you, then they fuck you, then they tell you to fuck off."

"Shut up."

"A girl sent you running all the way across a country to me, of all people. You honestly think that's not going to happen again."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Maybe not, but I do know you're mine and Liz's kid, and I know, whatever's going on, you're gonna fuck it up."

Jess didn't pause, think, or hesitate. He simply raised his right arm and threw it across Jimmy's jaw. Jimmy lunged back at him, shoving him hard against an old bookcase.

"The truth's a bitch, kid."

Jess shoved Jimmy off of him just as Mike, Chris, and even workaholic Matt appeared to hold the two men apart.

"You need to leave now," Chris told Jimmy, shoving him toward the door.

Jess shook off his friends and muttered something about being fine.

"Sorry, dude, I was picking up a weird vibe so I went and rallied the cavalry," Mike explained.

"It's fine."

"Jess, man, you're bleeding," Matt told him, motioning to the stain already leaking through Jess' gray sleeve.

"I must've broke my stitches. I'll just go to the minor emergency down the street."

"You need one of us to—"

"No," Jess answered flatly, rolling up his sleeve to put pressure on the wound. "I'll be fine."

When he was out the door, Mike said, "He's so not going to be fine."

"What about that girlfriend of his?" Chris asked, joining the other two.

"She's in Connecticut. What could she do?" Matt replied.

"She's coming here tonight," Mike told him.

"How did I not know this?"

"You never come out of your office."

"We can't just let the girl walk into this mess, can we?"

"She's with Jess. She's probably used to angst."

"This isn't normal Jess angst, this daddy issues angst, which is way worse. Don't you watch _LOST_?"

"Guys, I have a plan," Mike announced, picking up the cordless phone from behind the counter.

"_You_ have a plan?" Matt asked incredulously.

"It happens occasionally. Is it okay if I make a long-distance call?"

Chris took the phone from his hands and held out his cell phone. "Here. Free long distance."

Mike happily dialed the numbers and said, "Yeah, I need a number for Stars Hollow, Connecticut. I think the name is Lorelai Gilmore. Please don't ask me to spell it."

* * *

"Mom!"

"What is it, sweets?"

"I can't get my arm to zip up my dress."

"Are you sure you should have taken it out of that sling thingy?" Lorelai asked as she zipped up her daughter's dress.

"It was getting on my nerves, and I didn't want to have to explain it to the grandparents."

"You are becoming more and more like your mother every day."

"Aren't you proud?"

"Ecstatic," Lorelai answered before kissing her daughter on the cheek as the phone rang. "I'll get that. Yell if you need help with your sweater."

She didn't recognize the number as she answered, "Hello."

"Uh, yeah, I'm looking for _a_ Lorelai Gilmore, not sure if you're the Lorelai Gilmore I'm looking for, though."

Lorelai was glad the young man on the other end couldn't see the amused grin on her face. "Are you looking for Lorelai, or Rory?" she finally asked.

"Rory. Definitely Rory," the young man answered excitedly.

"Can I tell her who's calling?"

"Sure."

When the young man didn't continue, Lorelai said, "I need your name before I can tell Rory who you are."

"Oh yeah! I'm Mike."

Giggling, Lorelai covered up the mouthpiece and hollered, "Rory, there's a stoner named Mike on the phone for you!"

"I don't any stoners named Mike," she replied, gingerly pulling her sweater onto her right shoulder.

"Well, he knows you," Lorelai said, handing over the phone.

"Hello," Rory said cautiously.

"Hey, are you Rory?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Kris Michaelson. I work with Jess."

"Oh, yeah, he's mentioned you."

"Not if he mentioned Chris, because I'm not Chris. I mean, my name is Kris, but Chris was here first, and he kind of owns the place, so I had to start going by Mike because my last name's Michaelson and—Ow!"

Rory heard shuffling in the background and a new voice said, "Rory, this is Chris…the original Chris."

"Hi," Rory said nervously.

"We're calling because, well, Jess just…broke his stitches."

"Really? How? Is he okay?"

"He's Jess, so okay is kind of relative, but he broke his stitches because he punched his dad in the face."

"What?" Rory couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.

"Apparently, his dad—Jimmy I think was his name—showed up, and he was giving Jess grief about something, and Jess just lost it and it got physical. We knew you were coming later tonight, and, well…I guess we wanted to warn you. You know Jess."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," Rory replied quietly. "Is he there?"

"No, he left to get his stitches fixed."

"Okay, good, um, I'm going to be there earlier than I originally planned."

"We'll try to tell him, but he might not be answering his phone."

"I understand. I guess I'll see you in a few hours."

"Yeah. See you."

Rory hung up the phone and looked at her mother. Lorelai was leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. She had that Paul Harvey expression like she was waiting for the rest of the story.

"Well?"

"I'm not going to be at dinner tonight."

"And why are you abandoning your mommy in her hour of need?"

"Jimmy showed up at Truncheon," Rory replied, walking past her mother and back into her room. "Help me out of this dress."

"Jimmy? You mean Jimmy Mariano? Jess' dad, Jimmy?"

"Yes. Are you going to unzip me, or not?"

"Well, what happened?" Lorelai asked as she helped her daughter out of her dress.

"I don't really know, but it ended with Jess punching Jimmy."

"Oh my God."

"That was some of Jess' friends on the phone. They're worried. I know you probably don't want me to go, but—"

"Sweetie, I think you should go."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If you guys are going to have a 'real' relationship, you're going to have to be there for each other when everything is going wrong."

"Yeah, but it's not like he asked for me," Rory said as she pulled a shirt on over her head.

"He's a man, and, on top of that, he's Jess, so…asking for help in an emotional crisis is never going to be his forte."

Rory laughed as she pulled her bag out from under her bed. Lorelai helped her pack in relative silence.

* * *

"Hey, where's my honey bunches of oats?" Lorelai asked as she walked into a Luke-less diner.

"Are you talking about Luke?"

"Yes, Kirk, I'm talking about Luke."

"I've been here all day and he's been in a bad mood for all of it."

"Most people would say that about him everyday."

"No, he's right," Lane said, pouring Lorelai a cup of coffee. "He's been in a Luke bad mood, and he's been in and out of here all day long, and I know once I heard him talking to the police."

"The police? Really?"

The door opened and closed violently and everyone turned to see an angry Luke in the doorway. His face contorted in utter confusion when he saw his fiancée at the counter.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at your parents."

"I love you too, honey. How was _your_ day?" she asked in an overly sweet voice.

"Lorelai, I am really not in the mood for this."

"Neither am I. What is wrong with you?"

Noticing that everyone in the diner was staring, Luke grabbed Lorelai's hand and pulled her up the stairs to the apartment.

"Why aren't you at your parents'?"

"Because Rory left early, and I didn't want to go over there alone."

"Why'd she leave early?"

"Because Jess punched his father and his friends called and they're worried."

Luke's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell was Jimmy doing in Philadelphia?"

"That's a question for the ages, my friend, right up there with why the chicken crossed the road and why you've been on the phone with the police today," Lorelai told him, her hands on her hips.

Luke sighed and sat down on the couch and ran his hands across his face. "I told him I wouldn't say or do anything."

"Who?" Lorelai asked, sitting down next to him.

"Jess."

"What has he done now?"

"Well, nothing, except for lying to the police."

"When did he lie to the police?"

"Last week after the accident."

"What did he lie about?"

"He saw the driver of the other car."

Anger filled Lorelai's usually sparkling eyes. "Why the hell wouldn't he tell the police?"

"Because he knew the driver."

"Who could Jess possibly want to protect that much except for Rory?"

"He thinks he's protecting Rory. It probably would open up a lot of old wounds if she found out, so he lied. He didn't even tell me, I just know when he's lying."

"You do?"

"Yeah, it's a skill I wish I'd developed when he was a teenager. It would have been more useful then." Luke waited another moment before continuing. "Stars Hollow's finest hasn't noticed this, but I did: the car was reported stolen _after_ the accident. He was trying to cover it up after he realized what he'd done."

"Who? Who did this?"

Luke met her imploring gaze and replied, "Dean."

A series of emotions played out on Lorelai's face as Luke continued, "You know, I went to his place three times today. I just couldn't stand it. But what am I going to do to him? It's not like he's some gangly kid anymore. And what good would it do? I'd probably just get arrested and have you and Jess and Rory all mad at me. Lorelai, where are you going?"

"To kill Dean Forrester!" she yelled as she threw open the apartment door. Luke jumped up and ran after her.

* * *

Jess nodded vacantly as the nurse told him to be careful with his stitches this time. He signed the papers and walked back into the lobby. He blinked when he saw Rory smiling at him from the door. He had to wait a long time, but it was only 9:30.

"What—why—how?" he began, walking toward her.

"Your friends called me."

"Figures."

Rory placed a finger beneath his chin and tilted his head to meet her eyes. "Hey," she said simply.

"Hey," he replied, pulling her into an embrace. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she told him. "You've lost blood. Let's get you out of here."

They walked out of the clinic with her arm around his waist and his arm draped over her shoulders.

"Hey, you didn't walk over here, did you? It's dark, and this isn't the greatest neighborhood, and—"

"It's okay. I drove," she assured him, leading him to her car.

They got in and drove away in silence.

"Is this a rental?" Jess asked when the quiet became unbearable.

"Yeah."

"Did they catch the guy that hit us?"

"No, not yet."

"Did you like editing the _Gazette_ for the last week? You didn't sound enthusiastic on the phone."

"Jess."

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"He just showed up. I don't really know why."

"What did he say?"

"He said he wanted to see how I was doing."

"I meant what did he say to make you hit him?"

"Rory, I can't—"

"Jess, please!" she nearly shouted as she pulled into a parking lot and killed the engine. "I'm here, so just talk to me. Please."

A tear slid down his face and she brushed it away with her thumb.

"I don't think I've ever seen you cry," she told him.

"I cry," he replied, "usually over you."

"Oh," Rory said, withdrawing her hand. "I'm sorry. The last time I was in Philadelphia I was so horrible to you and—"

"Rory, hey," he said, reaching across the car and taking her hands in his, "the last time I cried I was in Chicago, and it was my fault. I knew I hurt you."

They drew one another's faces closer until their foreheads were touching. Rory laughed lightly and said, "We must look pretty stupid."

"Yeah, probably."

"Jess, what did he say to you?"

He took a deep breath and replied, "He told me I'd fuck this up."

"Oh, Jess."

"I think I hit him because a part of me believes him."

"Jess, our parents aren't the only people that make us who we are. Look at me; my mom is crazy impulsive, my father was barely around, neither of them went to college, and I have a degree from _Yale_. And you; you're the son of a reformed alcoholic and a major asshole, and you're a published author with great friends that care about you, and, if I do say so myself, you have an amazing girlfriend."

Jess chuckled and said, "Modesty doesn't become you."

She grinned brightly and kissed him softly. "Let's get out of here."

Jess looked at their surroundings and announced, "Uh, I have no idea where we are."

"This is _your_ city."

"No, New York is my city. Everything I need around here is within a three block radius of Truncheon, so…I am completely lost."

"Good thing I got your roommates' numbers before I picked you up," Rory said, flipping open her phone.

"I hope you're calling Chris or Matt and not Mike because we'll die of exposure before we get back if you call Mike."

"Oddly, I figured _that_ one out on my own."

* * *

"You have _got_ to calm down," Luke said as he followed Lorelai as she strode up to the door of the shabby apartment.

"Calm is not an option right now," she replied, rapping non-stop on the door.

It swung open suddenly. Luke was right. Dean wasn't a gangly kid anymore. Years of off-and-on construction work built muscles onto his naturally thin frame. His ruddy hair was long and shaggy and he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. Lorelai had seen him around, but she hadn't really looked at him in years.

"So I guess he ratted me out," Dean said, looking at his feet.

"Oh, no," Lorelai said, pushing past him and marching into the sparse apartment. "If Jess ratted you out, I would have a gun and a badge right now."

"Be grateful she doesn't have a gun," Luke advised, crossing his arms and blocking Dean's only exit.

"Then what are you guys doing here?"

"You put my daughter in the hospital!"

"It was an accident! I would never intentionally hurt Rory."

"Why did you run away?"

He groaned and tried to turn away only to have Luke stare him down. He looked back at Lorelai and replied, "I had been drinking. Only a couple of beers, but I didn't see the stop sign. Then I looked up and I saw _him_ and I panicked."

"You were calm enough to report your car stolen," Luke reminded him.

"I can't have a record. Tom would fire me and I can't live on what I make at Doose's. I'm honestly a little surprised it worked."

"This is the Stars Hollow Police, not the FBI," Luke muttered.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Dean?"

"Excuse me?" the younger man asked, turning his attention back to the woman in the room.

"You're living in this hovel and driving drunk and lying to the police. You're so much better than this."

"You're not my mother!"

"No, I'm not! But I am the mother of someone who loved you very, very much, and saw the best in you because that's just what she does. And I am standing here yelling at you, begging you to live your life better before you crash more than just your car because she's not here to do it. She's with someone who, misguided as he may be, wants to protect her from knowing what her first love has become. I never thought I'd see the day when I thought Jess Mariano was a better man than you, but if I meet Chicken Little tomorrow, I won't be surprised that the sky is falling!"

"What do you want me to do?" he asked quietly.

Lorelai laughed mirthlessly and replied, "Maybe you should dig down and find what's left of your moral compass and let it tell you what to do."

Luke moved out of the doorway to let her pass and looked back up at Dean. "Don't even walk by my diner, you hear me?"

Dean nodded silently and Luke jogged after his fiancée. He found her just outside the apartment building and wrapped his arms around her as she started to cry.

"It's okay," he consoled.

"I've never wanted to hit someone so bad in my entire life."

"That just means you're a good mother."

"Do you think it made a difference?"

"We can live in hope," Luke replied as they walked down the street with his arm over her shoulders.

"He should tell her."

"Who?"

"Jess. He should tell Rory what he saw."

"I can't disagree with you, but you don't need to call him and give a repeat performance tonight. He's had enough to deal with."

"I know," she answered, wiping away the last of her tears. "Should we tell Liz about Jimmy? You know Jess isn't going to."

"Why would we need to tell her?"

"Well, if the guy is on this side of the country picking fights with his own son, what's to keep him from coming here and picking a fight with Liz, or you, or TJ, or Kirk even?"

"We'll put posters of Mrs. Kim at every road into town. That should ward off _any_ evil."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I thought I was being so clever, but nearly all of you figured out the other driver was Dean. For fans of Amelia, she will be returning in the next chapter with a raft of Rocky references I've been working on for days. Thanks for all the reviews and alerts. I really appreciate it (especially since I'm so new in this fandom). Hope you enjoyed it!


	9. Chapter 9: The Butterfly Effect

Jess woke fully to the sound of his phone ringing. He momentarily panicked when he realized Rory wasn't next to him. Then he vaguely remembered her saying something about coffee. He groped for his phone and answered it still half asleep.

"Hello?"

"Jess, it's Lorelai."

"Oh, hey," he said, sitting up. "Is Rory's phone not working, or something?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay," he said cautiously.

"Oh my God!" Rory cried, rushing back into his bedroom and closing the door behind her.

"What's wrong?" Jess asked as Lorelai asked the same question in his ear.

"Mike is asleep on the kitchen table. Who are you talking to?"

"He does that sometimes. It's Lorelai."

"My mom?"

"Of course it's your mom. How many Lorelais do you know?"

"Well, me, for one. Dead great-grandmother for another."

"I'm still here," Lorelai reminded him.

"Why were you freaking out when you came in?"

"Oh, he's naked."

"What?"

"Mike. He's naked. Asleep. On the kitchen table."

"He must have found where we hid his good stuff. Just stay here. I'll take care of it."

"Jess, don't you dare hang up on me," Lorelai warned as he walked out of his room.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"You have to tell Rory what you saw last weekend," she began. "I know you think you're protecting her feelings, but she's a big girl and she can deal with it. You're thinking you're the better man by doing this, but you're just lying to your girlfriend. She doesn't deserve that, Jess, and I'm not just saying that because she's my kid. Are you even listening to me?"

Jess had indeed heard every word though he spent almost the whole time prodding his naked friend. When Mike barely stirred, Jess had an evil thought and said, "Hey, Lorelai, could you do me a favor? Could you repeat everything you just said?"

He held the phone to Mike's ear as Lorelai ranted loudly in frustration. Mike immediately woke up and fell off the table screaming. Jess grabbed him by the hair and yelled, "Put some clothes on!"

"Okay!" Mike cried back before searching for his pants.

Jess put the phone back to his ear surprised to hear silence on the other end.

"Lorelai, you still there?" he asked, removing the coffee filters and can from the cupboard.

"Jess, did you just use me to wake up the stoner boy?" she asked with disturbing calmness.

"Maybe," he replied, turning on the coffee maker.

"Don't do that."

"Okay."

"Were you listening to anything I just said?"

"Every word."

"What are you going to do about it, Mariano?"

"You really think I should tell her?"

"I do, and I know her better than anyone."

"Fine."

"Great. One more thing."

"Wow, we're building a real relationship here, Lorelai."

"Shut it, kid. Look, I know what happened with Jimmy last night."

Jess concentrated on the sound of coffee trickling into the pot.

"You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. If you know, I guess Luke knows."

"He does. Are you going to tell your mother?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Jess, she's your mom."

"She can live in blissful ignorance."

"Jess—"

"She has her own life. I'm just trying to let her live it."

"You're a part of her life, Jess."

"She doesn't need me. She's not _you_, Lorelai."

"She could be, but you won't give her a chance."

"Why are we having this conversation?"

"I'm not really sure. I might…you know…be starting to _care_ about you."

Jess rolled his eyes and shook his head even though Lorelai couldn't see him. "Can I take your daughter her coffee now?"

"Eh, I guess."

"You want to talk to her?"

"No, but you should. You understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied sarcastically.

"And call your mother."

"Anything else?"

"Tell Rory I love her."

"I will."

"Bye."

"Bye."

He tossed his phone on the counter and poured Rory a cup of coffee and walked back toward his room. She was reclining on his bed in nothing but his t-shirt. A collection of Chekov's short stories had her full attention as she wrote in the margins with a broken pencil. She looked up as soon as the smell of coffee hit her nostrils.

"Hey, I was wondering what was taking you so long. Gimme," she said reaching out her arms.

"Gilmores," he complained as he handed her the cup and joined her on the bed. "All you want us for is our coffee."

"But we're honest about it," she excused as she stretched her legs across his lap. "Is Mike okay?"

"Yeah, he's curled up on the living room floor, but at least he has his pants on now," Jess told her.

"You said you guys hid his stash. Why didn't you just get rid of it?"

"Well, you know, he spent good money on it."

"Jess?"

"Okay, fine. Some of the other guys like to smoke occasionally, and we all love to screw around with Mike, which he deserves because he doesn't pay rent, so…we hide his stash from him."

"How often do you…"

"Never," he answered preemptively. "I smoked my first joint when I was thirteen and have yet to figure out what the big deal is. Matt doesn't either. He has a girlfriend that would castrate him if he did."

"You do too, by the way."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So…why was my mom on the phone with you?"

"Uh, she loves you."

"Stop prevaricating."

"Ooo, really big word."

"Jess."

He finally met her eyes and said, "Fine. She found out I lied to the police last weekend."

"What?" Rory asked, removing her legs from his lap and moving closer to him.

"I know who hit us, and I didn't say anything because I thought it would be easier for you."

"Jess, who—"

"It was Dean."

Rory's face displayed disbelief, shock, and realization in a matter of seconds. "Oh, my God," she breathed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you loved him," Jess said, his eyes full of a hard edge.

She brushed the hair from his forehead and kissed him just above the stitches. "You're an idiot," she told him.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not seventeen anymore. I can take it when my ex-boyfriends turn out to be drunken losers."

"Sometimes your current boyfriends are drunken losers."

"Hey," she said, shoving him. "Look, I'm a big girl now. You can tell me anything and everything."

"You sound like your mother."

"'All women become like their mothers.'"

"'That is their tragedy.'"

"'No man does.'"

"'That's his' unless you're me," he said before kissing her softly. "I'm sorry for not saying anything."

"Well, you're forgiven, and you shouldn't be so hard on your mother," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Everyone keeps saying that. Have you guys not realized that my parents just kind of suck?"

"If they suck so bad, how did you turn out so good?"

"Divine intervention."

"Explain."

"You see, I met an angel who read Ginsberg."

"Now you're just being sappy."

"Probably," he answered, kissing her deeply and threading the fingers of one hand through her hair.

"Jess!"

"Oh my God! What is wrong with you people?" Jess shouted at an out-of-breath Chris.

"Mike is singing show tunes half-naked in the hall."

"So? Matt will stop him when he gets downstairs."

"He's headed _up_stairs."

"Oh, damn. The Fletcher kids will be scarred for life," Jess muttered, jumping up and pulling on a t-shirt.

He looked back at a pouting Rory as she said, "Explain to me why you keep Mike around."

"He knows all of the artists that contribute to the gallery."

"I can see how that would happen."

"Just…don't go anywhere, okay?"

"_I'm _not the master of the disappearing act."

He half-grinned, half-glared at her before chasing his roommate out of the apartment.

* * *

"Well, this is a nice surprise."

"Really? You think I'm a nice surprise?"

"Today I do," Luke answered, leaning across the counter to kiss his fiancée.

"Awww. You two are just sickeningly in love."

"Liz!" Lorelai exclaimed, seeing the woman and the child in her arms for the first time. "And Doula! Oh my God, you've grown so much in the last two months. You want to give Auntie Lorelai a hug?"

The three-year-old nodded silently and reached out for the other woman. Lorelai bounced her lightly as she said, "I guess we're not very chatty today."

"No, we're having a Jess day today," Liz explained, sitting down at the counter next to Lorelai.

"A Jess day?"

"Apparently that means if you're lucky enough to get an answer, it sounds something like 'huh,'" Luke explained.

Doula looked at him from her spot on Lorelai's lap and said, "Mean."

"That's right, Doula. You tell him," Lorelai urged.

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "You want your burger, or not?"

"Yes, please, with extra fries," Lorelai answered sweetly.

"Coming right up," he replied before kissing her quickly and grabbing a pot to refill cups around the diner.

"So…" Liz said after a short silence. "I heard my son and your daughter are back together again."

"Yep," Lorelai answered, allowing Doula to play with the zipper on her purse. "Did Luke tell you?"

"Hell no," Liz answered quickly. "It was the first thing Miss Patty said to me when she saw me this morning. No 'hello, how ya doin'?' just asking about Jess and Rory. Apparently they were on the front page of the _New York Times_ kissing or something. Never thought Jess would be on the front page of anything just for kissing a girl. Everyone acts like I would know something, but Jess and I were never close. He didn't even call on Christmas. I even wrote him a letter. Can you imagine? _Me?_ Writing a letter, but I did it. He hasn't written me back."

"He's had a lot going on."

"Yeah. Luke told me about Jimmy."

"You mean Luke Danes _volunteered_ information?"

"I know. I couldn't believe it either."

The two women laughed a moment before Liz continued, "I never got the whole scoop on Jess and Rory. What _is_ it with the two of them? Half the town thinks it was inevitable, the other half thinks it's a disaster waiting to happen. Rory's your kid. Where do you weigh in on the whole issue?"

"Well, that may seem like a simple question, but it has a complicated answer," Lorelai said, emptying her coin purse on the counter for Doula to play with the shiny pieces of metal.

"Well, I got time."

"When you sent Jess down here, Rory already had a boyfriend, Dean, but for the next year and a half, she just got closer and closer to Jess. They read all the same books, they listened to the same music, and that's where the similarities ended, and that's probably what made them so attracted to each other. He crashed her car, went back to New York, and she ditched school one day and took a bus to Manhattan in her private school uniform."

"Oh my God. You mean angelic little Rory wandered around Manhattan by herself in a plaid skirt?"

"Yep. I told her at the time she was falling for Jess, but she vehemently denied it. Things went downhill for a while after that."

"You can't leave me hanging."

"Well, Jess came back, and Rory kissed him, and then she went to Washington, D.C. for a summer without a word."

"That's harsh."

"Yeah, well, when I found out about it, I didn't know if it was worse that she kissed him without a word, or that she kissed him when she was with someone else."

"That is a tough-y," Liz agreed.

"To make a long story short, they fought for the next couple of months because they liked each other so much."

"Kind of like you and Luke?"

"Okay," Lorelai said reluctantly. "Well, finally Rory's boyfriend, Dean, had enough and broke up with her at this dance marathon in front of the whole town. He told them they should be together, and that's what happened."

"That's kind of sweet, in a _Days of Our Lives_ sort of way."

"Yeah, well, it was an intense but short-lived romance."

"What is it they say about a flame burning too bright?"

"It burns out too fast," Lorelai finished, "but you can always just move the ashes and a flame will immediately shoot back up. That's Rory and Jess. That's what the big deal is."

"You think our kids can hack it this time?"

"WAFO."

"Huh?"

"Wait and find out," Luke translated as he delivered Lorelai's burger and fries. "You better hurry up and eat. If this one is really having a Jess day, she'll be stealing all your fries."

"What?"

"Oh, honey, that's another story for another day."

* * *

"I don't understand what the big deal is with a Philly cheese-steak sandwich."

"You're eating it like it's a big deal."

She glared at him and said, "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry."

"Shut up."

"So what's your problem with this American legend of a sandwich?"

"It's not nearly as portable as a New York hot dog. I mean, we had to sit down in this restaurant to eat this thing. It's not like you could take it on the subway."

"Since there's no subway in Philadelphia, that's kind of a moot point."

"Jess!"

"I'm just stating the facts. Besides, it's freezing outside."

"Wuss."

"Absurdist."

"Ooo, now _you're_ using the big words."

"Are you finished? I really want to show you something."

"Okay. Let's go."

They walked hand-in-hand out of the restaurant and into the busy street. Jess only lead her a block and a half down the street before opening the door to an old brownstone.

"Oh. My. God."

"It's great, isn't it?" Jess asked as he followed her up the iron, spiral staircase to the second level of books.

"You know what it reminds me of?"

"_Funny Face_."

She looked back at him with wide eyes and an utterly confused expression.

"What?"

"You are going to have to explain how you've seen that movie before I start to question your sexual orientation."

"Really? You'd question my sexual orientation?" he asked incredulously as he pressed her against the railing, his fingers hooked in the belt loops of her jeans.

"Well, I—" She didn't finish her sentence as his mouth on hers cut her off.

"Jess!"

They broke apart suddenly and Rory smirked mischievously. "And you think people in Stars Hollow have bad timing," she whispered in his ear.

He ignored her as his ears reddened and turned to the stout, gray-haired man walking toward them. The round glasses over his dark eyes made him look distinctly like an owl: a smiling owl.

"Hey, Stan."

"Well, since this one has no manners, I'll just introduce myself," Stan said, addressing Rory. "I'm James Stanley. This is my little store."

"Rory Gilmore, and I wouldn't exactly call this place little," she replied shaking his hand.

"Well, what is little?"

"I see why you get along," she said to the man with his arm still around her waist.

"Oh, no, the real reason he keeps coming back is because I let him pay me for a first edition of _The Sun Also Rises_ on an installment plan."

"Please tell me you didn't write in the margins?"

"That was my condition for selling it to him at all."

"I'm standing right here," Jess reminded them.

"That you are, my boy. Well, the Brits are over there, the Americans are that way, and over in the Russian section is a very dark, deserted corner if you feel you should need it. Cheerio!"

Rory bit her lip and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as Jess shook his head. The tubby man cheerfully bounced down the stairs leaving them alone on the second floor of the shop.

"So, come on. Tell me how you've seen _Funny Face_," she told him as she led him toward the British side of the room.

"When I was like seven, my parents left me alone a lot, and we only got two channels and it was on one afternoon, and I saw Audrey Hepburn and all those books, and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen and it was supposed to be like ten blocks from where I lived, and…I didn't finish watching the movie and I didn't find a store that looked quite as much like it as this place does, but find _a_ bookstore with a nice old woman that would let me spend all day reading in a corner of her shop."

"You should take me there sometime."

"She sold it when I was fourteen. I don't know what it is anymore."

Rory kissed him lightly on the cheek before climbing onto one of the ladders attached to the bookcase. "So what's Stan's story?"

"His family has owned the place for like seventy-five years. He owned a bookstore in Ireland for ten years, though."

"That explains the accent."

"He sends up the accent for effect. He came back when his mom got sick and inherited the place when she passed."

"Is his time in Ireland why the place is called Dubliners'?"

"No, his full name is actually James Joyce Stanley, so the place has always been Dubliners'."

Rory nodded and said, "Hey could you push me that way?"

"No."

"What?"

"When you fall off that thing, I am going to be in no way responsible."

"Just push."

"Fine."

He pushed her a few feet until she told him to stop. When he didn't move from the bottom of the ladder she said, "I don't need you to keep holding the ladder for me."

"It's okay. I like your ass from this angle."

"You better move before I rearrange your pretty face with my shoe."

"Aw, you think I have a pretty face?"

"Eh, sort of," Rory answered, selecting a volume from a shelf and coming down. She turned around at the bottom where he trapped her with his arms resting on either side of the ladder.

"What'd you get?"

"I have it on good authority that _this_ is our story," she replied, showing him the spine.

"That's funny," he concluded. "I always thought we were trapped in _Wuthering Heights_."

"That's what I said until Amelia vehemently corrected me."

"So, am I Wickham or Darcy? I know I'm not cheerful enough to be Bingley."

"You're Darcy, obviously."

"You sure? I am the ne'er do well cast off."

"Nope, you're secretly amazing, just like Darcy. And you've even made really bad proposals before."

"True, but I don't think Mr. Darcy would ever do this," he said before pressing his body against hers and letting his hands run across the sensitive skin of her stomach. _Pride and Prejudice _still in her hand, she wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her free hand through his hair.

When he gave her a moment to breathe she said, "Where did Stan say the Russian section is?"

Jess grinned crookedly before setting the book aside and taking both her hands in his.

"I certainly hope you know the way because of your deep, abiding love for Tolstoy."

"Pushkin," he assured her, smirking.

* * *

"You know, I had a really weird thought today," Lorelai said as climbed into bed with Luke.

"All of your thoughts are weird."

"Well, this one was especially bizarre."

"Are you gonna tell me before we're on social security, or after?" he asked after she let the silence hang in the air.

"You know I had Doula on my lap today."

"I saw that."

"And I was thinking how adorable she is despite the fact that TJ is her father."

"I find that miraculous as well."

"And I was talking to Liz about Rory and Jess and their complicated history…"

"Are you getting to the point anytime soon?"

"I was sitting there and I suddenly thought how adorable Rory and Jess' kids are going to be."

Luke blinked at her a couple of times. "That _is_ bizarre."

"That's all you have to say?"

"Well, the only other thing I can come up with is that you are completely insane, but we both already know that."

"You don't think their kids will be cute?"

"I think we need to find out if Rory and Jess can make it through an entire year before we start planning any christenings."

"You know what really weirded me out about the whole thought process, though?"

"Oh God, there's more?"

"I couldn't believe I was thinking how adorable my grandkids are going to be before I thought of how adorable my kids are going to be."

"Your kids?"

"Well, our kids."

"You want to have kids with me?"

"Of course I want to have kids with you, Luke. I wouldn't be marrying you if I thought this was going to end in utter disaster and our kids would be messed up for life. What? Don't you want to have kids with me, or are you still afraid of jam hands?"

He kissed her in response and she smiled slyly. "Does this mean you want me to have your babies?"

He kissed her again as he turned off the light.

* * *

Rory sighed contentedly as she rested her head on Jess' bare chest as they lay in his bed later that evening. His fingers played idly with the ends of her hair.

"It was a good day," she said.

"A very good day," he agreed.

"You know what I regret sometimes?"

"What?"

"Not running away with you when you came to Yale and begged me to."

"I wasn't begging."

"You were begging."

"Okay. Maybe I was begging, but why would you regret that?"

"Part of me knows it would have ended in disaster," she explained, moving up so she was facing him. "Something would have happened because we were just young and stupid, and we would have resented each other and wound up really never speaking again, but even if it just lasted for the summer, I wouldn't have slept with Dean and I probably wouldn't have met Logan, and I could have avoided a lot of heartache from the two of them. I just wish I could go back sometimes and change all of that."

"Maybe," he said, "but there's a major flaw in your logic. If you ran off with me, even for just the summer, Lorelai would have taken it out on Luke."

"And they wouldn't have gotten together that summer," Rory finished. "Oh my God. It's like the butterfly effect."

Laughing lightly, Jess kissed her and brushed the hair away from her shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her. "Everything that's happened, all of it, even the shitty stuff, got us to where we are now. And right now, I'm holding the woman I love, and, despite anything that goes wrong, I'm happy."

She kissed him beneath the ear and whispered, "I love you."

He smiled as he held her tighter. "I love you, too."

* * *

A/N: So I know I promised the return of Amelia, but Jess and Rory decided to have sex in a bookstore, so Amelia's going to have to wait until the next installment, but I've already started it, and she'll definitely be there. BTW, the lines Jess and Rory quoted back and forth about all women becoming like their mothers is from _The Importance of Being Earnest_ by Oscar Wilde. Hope you enjoyed this installment. Thanks for all the reviews and alerts, I look forward to reading yours for this installment.


	10. Chapter 10: Perfect Moments

A/N: This is like the second longest update I've ever written in my life, but I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

"Hello?" Matt said into the phone on Sunday morning.

"Yeah, I'm not sure I have the right number," a very awake female voice said on the other end. "Is this Truncheon Publishing?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I've been awake all night and it's the weekend."

"That's why Italians invented the triple espresso, my friend."

Matt rolled his eyes, but jumped up from his desk when he saw Chris escorting the girl he'd picked up last night from whatever bar out the door. Chris could deal with the crazy morning person.

"Hey, Chris, phone!" he said before tossing the other man the receiver.

Chris cocked an eyebrow as Matt slammed the door to his office. He held the receiver up to his ear and said, "Uh, hi, this is Chris."

"What is that other guy's problem? All I did was suggest he have a triple espresso."

"Yeah, well, Matt's not a morning person and he's probably been working all night, and since you sound like you're awake and in control of your faculties, he obviously resents you for it," Chris explained, grinning and leaning on the railing of the staircase.

"The only reason I'm so awake right now is the triple espresso in my dainty little hands."

"Now that's just cheating."

"The world runs on java, my young Jedi."

"It is a sad truth of the human condition."

The woman laughed and they fell into a comfortable silence. "So…did you call us for a reason, or did you just want to flirt with me?" He silently winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Well, aren't we full of ourselves?"

"Sorry."

"I was actually looking for my friend Rory."

"Rory?" Chris asked, hoping to prolong the conversation as he climbed the stairs.

"Yeah, annoyingly skinny girl, big blue eyes, and—if she has any sense at all—she's naked and sweaty with your Italian stallion."

"Italian stallion? Seriously?"

"We're in Philly, and I have actually seen the guy. He's obviously not Prussian."

"But a _Rocky_ reference? That's so cliché. Especially for Philly."

"If it helps, I'm looking at Sylvester Stalone right now."

"Really? What's he doing back in Philly?"

"It's a statue."

"You're at the sports arena?"

"Yep. Why did they move the statue?"

"To make a plot point for the last movie," Chris suggested, walking into the apartment and stepping over Mike.

"You mean you actually deigned to see that movie?"

"Of course, didn't you?"

"Naturally. The guy playing his son is a total hottie."

"Wow. I didn't realize Rory's friends were so shallow," he said teasingly.

"I know. I barely qualify as a puddle," she returned.

"Hold on a sec," he told her before banging on his friend's bedroom door.

"Go away!" Jess' voice yelled back.

"There's a friend of Rory's on the phone," Chris told them.

"Which one?" Rory's voice called out.

"Uh…" Chris held the phone back up to his ear and said, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I was wondering if you were ever going to get around to asking that. I'm Amelia and tell her it's about work and it's important," she replied.

Chris relayed this information and chuckled lightly when he listened to their response. "They're doing that whole not-arguing arguing thing," he said into the phone.

"He probably doesn't want her to get out of bed. Of course, what man _does_ want a naked woman to get out of his bed?"

"Well, you know, he's probably naked too which means it will get awfully cold without her."

"Oh, sure. The temperature variation is the _only _reason he doesn't want her to get out of bed."

"Well, maybe not the _only_ reason."

"An honest man. I like that."

"Uh-hmm," Rory cleared her throat significantly, standing in Jess' doorway wearing his Clash t-shirt and a pair of her own sweatpants.

"Oh, sorry," Chris excused, handing her the phone. "You might want to take it out in the hall. Mike hears things even though he's supposed to be unconscious."

"Thanks," Rory said before stepping over Mike's snoring form and into the hallway.

"So, hey, Georgie-girl. What's going on? I assume the sex is earth-shattering since you haven't had your phone on all weekend."

"Amelia!"

"Well, I did get a good look at the guy and he looks like he could make the experience an altogether positive one, so…"

"Amelia, it's none of your business."

"That's true, but you know I live vicariously through you, Georgie-girl. So, tell me, how is it?"

Rory smiled as her ears reddened. "What was that first word you used? Earth-shattering? Total understatement," Rory said slyly, sitting down on the floor.

"Oh my God!" Amelia laughed on the other end.

"Yeah, we had sex in a bookstore named Dubliners' yesterday."

"James Joyce would be honored."

"So, you told Chris you wanted to talk about work. Was that true, or did you just want an excuse to quiz me about my sex life?"

"Yes, it's true. Not only have you missed calls from me and your mom, but also from your editor."

"And what does that great big ball of sunshine want?"

"He wants to know what's going on with the economy?"

"It sucks. Next question."

"Well, he wants a more in depth answer than that, and he wants us—i.e. me and you—to figure it out."

"What does 'figuring it out' entail exactly?"

"Road trip!"

"Road trip?"

"For two weeks," Amelia added cautiously.

"Two weeks?!"

"But we won't be on a bus this time."

"Amelia!"

"And we're not crisscrossing the country. We're just going to Detroit and then some spots in California, and then we go to the inauguration, and then we go to your mother's wedding. It's perfect."

"It sucks."

"But you haven't heard the icing yet."

"They put icing on sucky cakes?"

"Apparently they do. We're getting paid what we got for three months on the campaign trail for two weeks of work, all our expenses are paid, and your editor gave me a video camera."

"Why would he give you a video camera?"

"Because, darlin', we're gonna put you in the movies and make a big star out of you."

"I'm going to be on camera?"

"Yeah, I mean, I know it's not like you'll be reporting from Uzbekistan or anything, but you'll be on camera, and it will be a huge feature on the website, and I'm sure someone from CNN or the _Times _will see you," Amelia said encouragingly.

"When do we have to go?" Rory asked quietly.

"Right away. I'm already in Philadelphia with a car packed and ready to go."

"But I don't have enough stuff to last me two weeks."

"We'll call your mom and have her ship your stuff to a post office in Detroit," Amelia suggested. "Look, I'm on the other side of town right now, but we'll sort it out later today, okay?"

"Fine. I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah, Georgie-girl. Later."

She hung up the phone and looked up to see Jess standing in front of his door, leaning on the frame. "You can be awfully quiet when you want to be," she told him.

He chuckled and sat down next to her as he said, "So when do you have to leave?"

"Tomorrow, probably," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "We're gonna be on the other side of the country for two weeks. The pay is absolutely amazing, though. It would be enough to get me started in any city I choose to work, or enough to take a long vacation. And…"

"You'd be on camera."

"Is it shallow that that excites me?"

"No. Your dreams are never shallow because they're yours."

"Are you happy for me?"

"I'm happy you're getting what you deserve out of life. I'm not happy I won't see you at all for two weeks."

"Thank you," she said before kissing him softly. "Oh my God, I have to call my mom, and my editor, and—hey, give me back the phone!"

Jess held the phone out of her reach as he said, "How about you eat some breakfast before you start planning your tour of world domination?"

"Fine," she agreed, pouting as he pulled her to her feet.

"One more thing," he said, turning around at the door.

"Yes."

"The experience has been earth-shattering for me too."

"Eavesdropper!"

"Sometimes you like the things you hear through the door."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

"Lorelai, you here?"

"In Rory's room!"

"What _are_ you doing?" he asked when he saw the entire contents of Rory's wardrobe and dresser spread out across the room.

"Well, Rory just called and she got a new assignment for work and she's going to be road-tripping across the country and reporting on the economy until the inauguration, so she wanted me to provide her with the essentials for her trip and send them ahead."

Luke laughed and Lorelai glared at him. "What's so funny?"

"Rory having _you_ doing her packing."

"I'm a good packer!"

"Oh, please. You always have to call Rory to help you pack for anything."

"Yeah, well…I've learned over the years," Lorelai excused hesitantly.

"She gave you a list, didn't she?"

"Maybe."

"I knew Rory didn't trust you _that_ much," Luke said as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Hey, what are you doing home in the middle of the day anyway? I hope you weren't expecting a nooner because you're not getting any for at least a week."

"I brought you lunch."

"Oh, well, maybe you'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning," Lorelai said as she took a to-go container out of the sack on the table.

"So, do I get details on where Rory's going, or do I have to guess?" Luke asked, joining his fiancée at the table.

"Well, she and Amelia are sort of doing this video-diary-investigative-thingy in some of the hardest-hit areas of the country. They're planning on almost a whole week in Detroit, and then they're going to California."

"So, basically, they're going to focus on the collapse of the auto industry and the real-estate market?"

"Uh, sure. That works. All I know is that I don't get to see my precious baby girl for two weeks right before my wedding."

"You'll make it," Luke assured her.

"Maybe. Jess will probably be showing up sometime tomorrow, she informed him between bites.

"Huh? What? Why?"

"Well, Rory realized that her rental contract stipulated she had to return the car where she got it and they're taking Amelia's car across the country, so Jess volunteered to drive her car back."

"Wow. Taylor's probably going to try and pass a moratorium on how often Jess can visit if he keeps showing up every two weeks."

"Yeah, and could you make him go in for a tux fitting while he's here?"

"Why would you think I can _make_ Jess do anything?"

"You got him to come to Liz and TJ's wedding."

"And I thought I failed at that until he showed up in the diner."

"But you still did it, and even got him to walk his mom down the aisle."

"I still consider that nothing short of a miracle."

"Just get him fitted for his tux."

"You're really going to make me and Jess wear tuxes to this thing?"

"This 'thing' is _my_ wedding. You're just in it, so you and the hooligan better be properly attired, or else," she threatened with a crooked finger.

He laughed and kissed her before saying, "I gotta get back to the diner. Love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I knocked over one of your random piles when I was looking for the shirt I had on last night—it's completely misshapen by the way—and I was putting your stuff back and I sort of got on a roll, and you're probably going to hate me because I'm sure there was a system to your chaos which I've completely destroyed, but I did find this," she explained in a single breath as she traded him the piece of paper in her possession for the coffee he'd been drinking.

"Oh," he said simply, examining the document in his hands.

"Oh? That's all you have to say? Jess, not only did you take the SATs, you made a 1510 on the SATs. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Uh, I forgot about it," he said, setting the paper aside and sitting down next to her on the bed. "You made up the bed?"

"Like I said I was on a roll, and how could you forget something like taking the SATs. I'm still traumatized."

"It was a dare."

"You took the SATs on a dare and you made a 1510?"

"No, the dare was to see if I could get into college. I actually studied for the test. I had to if I was going to pass the math section."

"You _studied_?"

"Stop sounding so shocked."

"I'm sorry. It's just the idea of Jess Mariano actually studying is a foreign concept, like foot binding. When did all this happen?"

"A few years ago, between the time I saw you in Hartford, and the time you showed up here," he explained. "The guys said they published my book, and wondered if I could actually make myself look like an intellectual and they dared me to get into college. I made them pay for everything so it wound up being a very expensive dare on their end."

Rory nodded as he told the story. "So, what happened next? Where all did you apply? Did you get in? Tell me, tell me!"

"Okay, I'm taking this away from you," he said, removing the coffee cup from her hands.

"Jess!" she whined. "Come on, tell me. With scores like that, you could get in just about anywhere."

"You must be forgetting that I have a G.E.D. and those scores were not that great because I didn't actually study and that my high school transcripts look like wrap sheets."

"You know, _that_ can actually help you in some situations," she told him matter-of-factly. "It proves that you have a specific personality, and sets you apart from the thousands of other applicants. For instance, the fact that my mom had me when she was sixteen, and only went to community college was actually considered helpful for my admission to a university."

"Who knew teen pregnancy could be so helpful?"

She punched him playfully and said, "Come on, tell me the end of the story. Where did you apply?"

"Uh…the guys wouldn't let me apply to a community college or anything, so I applied to the University of Pennsylvania," he answered reluctantly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, it's just down the street."

"Jess, that's an—"

"Ivy League school," he finished. "Yeah, I read that at some point during the application process."

After a silence, Rory asked, "Did you get in?"

"You know, I bet you'll find the letter if you keep cleaning up my room."

"Jess."

He sighed deeply and replied, "Yeah, I got in."

"Oh my God. Jess!" she exclaimed, grinning.

"It was some sort of weird, special admission thing because I was older, and a non-traditional student, and I think they were trying to make themselves seem less stuffy, or something."

"Jess, you got in because you deserved to get in. You're smart and you're an original thinker and you would have so much more experience than all the naïve eighteen-year-olds in your classes."

He chuckled and kissed her before saying, "Yeah, right. Rory, you know me and school never got along."

"College isn't like high school. You can get away with skipping classes, and you're great at that."

"Ha-ha," he deadpanned.

"So, why didn't you go?"

"I had almost everything I wanted. And I knew that going to college wasn't going to get me what I didn't have," he replied, looking at her significantly. "So, I figured I'd save the tens of thousands of dollars and not go."

"And what about now?"

"I have absolutely _everything_ I want. Why would I need to go to college?"

She smiled as he kissed her, his hand cupping her face. The broke off at the sound of a knock on his partially open door and looked up at Matt's apologetic face.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but Mike just pissed off Vincenzo Biscotti or whatever his name is, and he actually gets along with you, Jess, so if you could keep him from tearing his paintings off our walls, I would really appreciate it."

"Sure," Jess answered before quickly kissing Rory and walking past Matt toward the door.

Rory smiled awkwardly at Jess' roommate. She'd barely seen him since she'd been there. Apparently, he liked to work a lot on the weekends. He kept looking at her like he had something to say, and it unnerved her slightly.

"Is something wrong, Matt?"

"Can I talk to you, like, frankly?"

"Sure."

Matt came fully into the room and sat on top of Jess' dresser. "You know, the door was partly open, and I heard the last part of your conversation."

"Oh."

"Yeah, and Jess didn't lie to you, but he didn't really tell you the truth either."

"What do you mean?"

"He was _going _to the University of Pennsylvania. He was registered for classes for the summer semester to see if he actually had an academic bone in his body before going full time in the fall."

"What happened?"

"_You_ happened."

Rory squirmed uncomfortably under Matt's critical stare. "Oh," she said quietly, unable to formulate another response.

"We didn't find him until like seven the morning after you showed up the last time," Matt continued. "Jess had been on a pub crawl that would have made Dylan Thomas cry tears of pride. It took us three months before we figured out we had to get him wasted again to get him to tell us what the hell happened. And—my God—all the crap that went on between the two of you would have been perfect for one of those stupid shows on the WB."

"It's the CW now," Rory replied dumbly.

"Well, it was the WB when I was growing up," Matt answered quickly. "Look, I don't know the James Dean wannabe that broke your heart back in Connecticut, but I know the guy downstairs, and this whole thing: kind of freaking me out. I mean, you're taking impromptu trips on short notice, you're sleeping together, and if you screw him over again, we're not gonna find him on the floor of a dive bar, we're gonna find him splattered all over the sidewalk.

Rory wiped away a stray tear. "I was selfish and horrible and I know that," she said. "I couldn't be more sorry for what I did back then and Jess knows that."

"I know, but I think you should know the story Jess will never tell you," Matt said simply. "You know that line from _Taming of the Shrew_: 'I burn. I pine. I perish.'? That was Jess for nearly a year after the last time he saw you. He was perishing, and he threw himself into work to make up for it. You know what's really funny, though? I think Jess was always pining for you, even before he met you."

Rory smiled sheepishly.

"Uh…can I ask you something else completely un-Jess-related," Matt asked after an uncomfortable silence.

"Shoot."

"Well, I've been with Kat—my girlfriend—for like four years now, and I've got a ring and everything, but I can't figure out how to ask her, and I'd like a woman's perspective, but my mom is really old, and I don't have any sisters, and you're the only girl who's been up here for more than eight hours, so…"

Rory laughed and said, "Okay, okay. I'll be glad to help in any way I can, but first you're going to have to tell me more about your girlfriend."

* * *

"Okay, Vin, we'll see you on Thursday," Jess said as he politely nudged the scruffy man out the frond door. He glared back at Mike and said, "What the hell did you say to him?"

"I have no idea, man," Mike answered. "He's sensitive. You know that."

"Just watch your mouth around him, okay? How long has that been going on?" Jess asked, motioning toward Chris openly flirting with Amelia in the gallery.

"A couple of hours. Who is that girl anyway?"

"It's Rory's friend Amelia," Jess explained. "Didn't Chris have some girl over last night?"

"Uh, last night was Saturday, so…yeah."

Jess groaned and walked toward the couple. "Hey, Amelia."

"Hey, yourself," she replied, smiling brightly.

"Your nose looks good."

"Oh, it was just bloodied, not broken."

"Okay, I'm lost," Chris told them.

"Long story," Jess assured him. "Can I talk to you a sec?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He just grabbed Chris' collar and pulled him away until they were out of Amelia's earshot and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm showing Rory's friend around our establishment."

"Uh-huh, and how long has it been since the last girl you showed around our establishment left?"

"About four hours."

"Chris!"

"What? Like _you've_ never had a one night stand?"

"Hey, even at my worst, I never had a different girl every three days, unlike _some_ people, and Amelia isn't some slut you found in a bar. She's one of Rory's best friends. I'm not going to stand by and let you screw with her."

"Dude, what happened to bros before hos?"

"Chris."

"Fine," he said, holding up his arms in surrender. "In deference to your girlfriend, I'll be a good boy."

"Thank you."

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to flirt."

"Chris."

"Excuse me," Amelia said, walking up to the pair. "As much as I've adored watching you flog your testosterone around, I did actually come here to talk to Rory."

"She's upstairs. I'll show you," Jess offered, throwing a glare at Chris' smirking face.

* * *

"This place is interesting."

"Yeah, it's like a dive bar but without the hepatitis."

"Do they have food? I'm hungry."

"Of course you are. Amelia, I hoped you stocked up on junk food for your road trip."

"Oh, I called Lorelai and got a complete list of road trip necessities," Amelia explained as they all piled into a booth.

Matt and Kat invited Jess and Rory out and Chris invited himself and Amelia, and Mike came because he couldn't be trusted alone. They were at the guys' favorite bar/restaurant simply titled Philly. It had character and didn't have a cheesy theme so they weren't ashamed to bring their guests. Matt ordered enough appetizers to feed a small army after they gave the waitress their drink orders.

"We really love this place," Kat—a shapely redhead—told them. "It's kind of hard to find a decent theme-less place to eat in this town. So much stuff is aimed at the tourist trade."

"Kat's the only one of us that's lived here her whole life, except for Mike," Matt explained.

"Go Phillies!" Mike yelled, high-fiving Kat.

"I don't think any town could beat Boston for the outrageous number of theme bars," Amelia said, taking a tortilla chip as soon as the waitress set them on the table. "There's a fake Cheers like every three blocks."

"The Bell In Hand was pretty good," Rory reminded her.

"True, but it was depressingly located."

"How can a bar be depressingly located?" Mike asked.

"It's across the street from a Holocaust memorial," Rory answered.

"Oh."

"Okay, now I'm depressed, so let's change the subject," Chris piped up. "Jess, you're taking Rory's car back to Stars Hollow tomorrow?"

"Yep. I should only be gone a day."

"How are you getting back?"

"I guess I'll take the bus."

"You don't have to do that, dude," Chris assured him. "I can follow you in my car and bring you back. Besides, I want to get an unbiased look at teenaged Jess."

Rory laughed. "Trust me, it won't be an unbiased look," she told them.

"Yeah, they still hate me."

"What did you do to them?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh, bull!" Rory corrected. "You were a gnome thief before you were even in town three days."

"Gnome thievery?" Kat asked incredulously. "That's so clichéd."

"My favorite prank was the fake murder, though."

"Fake murder?" Mike asked. "How do you fake a murder?"

"Ooo, I've heard about this one!" Amelia exclaimed. "It's a goody."

"Well, come on, don't leave us in suspense," Chris said.

Jess groaned and picked a spot on the ceiling to stare at while Rory said, "Well, first you need to know that Taylor Doose owns the supermarket, and that he sort of runs the town."

"And he's a major pain in everyone's ass," Jess added.

"True, and what Jess did was put police tape around the entrance to Doose's supermarket and draw a chalk outline of a body," Rory explained. "It didn't look real, but it freaked Taylor out enough to call in the cops and then hold a town meeting to try and run Jess out of town."

"Oh my God! That's a classic, man," Mike said reaching across the table to pound Jess' fist.

"Everyone came down so hard on Jess' uncle, Luke," Rory continued, "but Jess fixed his toaster to make up for it."

"You have no proof," Jess told her.

"I don't need any," she replied before kissing him sweetly on the cheek.

"Oh, you guys are so cute," Kat told them.

"Hey, I want to see this Stars Hollow place," Mike said. "Can I come with tomorrow?"

"Uh…"

"Go for it," Matt told them. "With all of you gone, I might actually get some work done."

"Why do you put up with him, Kat," Chris asked, only half joking.

"I love him," she answered simply.

They all turned their attention to the stage where the proprietor was announcing that the band had cancelled and that they were opening up the mike to anyone who wanted to perform with the piano player.

"Ooo, this should be good," Matt muttered.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll discover the next Ginsberg," Chris suggested sarcastically.

"Hey, Rory, call your mom," Amelia told her as she stood up in the booth and stepped over Chris and Mike to get out.

"What? Why?" Rory asked though she was already taking her phone out of her purse.

"Just do it, okay?" Amelia told her before dashing toward the stage.

"What is she doing?" Chris asked Rory.

"I don't know, but you should never put an open mike in front of Amelia if you don't want her to use it," she explained as she hit the first number on her speed dial.

"Hey, sweets, if you're calling to give me another list, forget it. I've already shipped your stuff. There'll be a bill waiting for you when you get home."

"No, Mom, it's nothing like that. Amelia just ordered me to call you. I'm not sure why…"

Her voice drifted off as the first piano notes reached her ears and Amelia said, "This song is for all the Gilmore girls of the world."

"Oh my God! Mom, do you hear?"

"I do, I do! You better be dancing!"

"I'm going now! Come on, Kat!"

Rory grabbed the other woman and the men had to move out of their way as they ran quickly toward the bar's meager dance floor.

"Uh, what just happened?" Matt asked as Amelia sang out the first few lines of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

"Nothing says girl power quite like Cindy Lauper," Jess answered before taking a swig of his beer.

"You know she's actually pretty good," Chris said, not taking his eyes off of Amelia.

"Chris," Jess warned.

"I'm just stating a fact."

"Hey, looking out for your girlfriend's friends; good boyfriend stuff," Matt told Jess.

"Thank you…I think," Jess replied.

"Excuse me? Why does he need to protect her from _me_?" Chris asked, annoyed.

"Because you're a man-whore," Mike muttered into his beer.

"Dude!"

"You know, sometimes the fool has the greatest insight into the world around him," Matt said, smiling slyly.

"I am _not_ a man-whore!"

"Chris, go on at least two actual dates with anyone and then we'll give down our final judgment," Matt told him. "And, by the way, this doesn't count."

"Fine," Chris relented as the song ended and the girls made their way back to the table giggling.

"We miss anything good?" Kat asked.

"Nope. Nothing at all," Chris answered quickly.

* * *

"Okay, so I'll see you at seven tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, the sooner we get going, the sooner we can get this whole thing over with," Rory confirmed.

"I'll be here. Good night," Amelia said as Jess pulled Rory inside the apartment, leaving her alone in the hallway with Chris.

"So…" he began.

"So?" she repeated.

"Do you want to come in?"

"No, I think I'll just go back to my hotel."

"You need a ride?"

"No, I have my car."

"Do you want me to come with you? It's dark and it's a strange city."

"Let me explain something to you, Chris. I have Kerouac-ed it across this country a few times. Don't tell Rory this, but I live out of my car and a storage unit and crash on friends' couches when I'm in L.A. I can handle myself just fine in Philly."

He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he just said, "Are you sure?"

Amelia laughed lightly and said, "I know who you are."

"Uh, yeah, I did introduce myself on the phone this morning," he joked.

"That's not what I meant," she told him. "I mean that you are the last of the international playboys. You're the guy who always gets everything and everyone he wants without trying too terribly hard. It must be nice to have a life that charmed."

"Well, I, uh—"

"I'll make you a deal," she said, cutting him off. "If you actually like me as more than just a potentially good lay, I'll let you be my date to Luke and Lorelai's wedding at the end of the month, on one condition."

"Shoot."

"You don't sleep with anybody for the next two weeks," she replied. "That doesn't mean you have to become a monk or anything. Just don't bring anyone home. And remember, I have spies. If you think this is unfair, just remember, women get horny at weddings."

Chris smirked slightly and said, "That's misogynistic stereotype."

"Man with a smart mouth. I like it," she said before kissing him on the mouth and disappearing down the stairs.

* * *

"You know what I think?" Rory asked, her head resting on her hand as she lay on Jess' bare chest.

"That _The New Yorker_ is not nearly as hip as it used to be?" he suggested, running his hands over her bare shoulders.

"That's true, but that's not what I was thinking."

"And what was filling that over-educated head of yours?"

"This is a perfect moment."

"You think?"

"It's textbook. Makes all my other perfect moments pale in comparison."

"You have to leave in the morning."

"I don't want to go."

"I don't want you to, but you have to go."

"Killjoy."

"I'm a realist."

"It doesn't change the fact that right now, this moment…totally perfect."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is."

* * *

A/N: So...I auto-plagiarized (meaning I plagiarized myself), if you can identify where it came from, I will probably love you forever. The last moment I sort of stole from the show, but I like it better here. Thanks for reading and reviewing and alerting!


	11. Chapter 11: A Place to Call Home

A/N: Well, this took longer than I thought it would. I kind of rewrote the middle of it over the Thanksgiving holiday and am much happier with the finished product. Hope you are just as happy with it. There are some fun references I really enjoyed writing. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and alerted.

* * *

"Welcome to Stars Hollow," Jess said as they got out of their cars in front of the Dragonfly Inn.

"Dude, I feel like I woke up in an episode of that Andy Griffith show," Mike said, taking in his surroundings.

"More like _The Music Man_," Chris commented. "What is this place?"

"The Dragonfly Inn. Rory's mom owns it. I figured she'd know what to do with her car," Jess said as he walked up the steps to the inn.

"Oh, dear. I should hide the good silverware," the man behind the desk said in disinterest.

"Was that French accent for real?" Chris asked.

"Was that whole guy for real?" Mike asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Jess answered as Michel disappeared around a corner.

"Dude, look over there. Pretty lady," Mike said, nudging Chris in the ribs.

Jess turned around just in time to see Lorelai coming toward him with a smile bright enough to light up Manhattan. He grunted as she hugged him tightly and said, "Jess! You're back. It's so good to see you!"

"Uh, okay," he replied, reluctantly returning her hug.

"Are you going to introduce us, or do we just get to stand here?" Chris asked.

"Right, this is Rory's mom, Lorelai. Lorelai, this is Chris and Mike. They followed me here. Couldn't stop 'em."

"You're pretty," Mike blurted as he shook her hand.

"Smooth," Chris muttered.

Lorelai laughed and said, "You're the one I talked to on the phone, aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I figured," she replied. "Where are the keys, lover-boy?"

"The Jeep's in the shop, isn't it?" Jess asked as he handed over the keys.

"Ooo, psychic abilities now. You're just becoming more and more impressive everyday."

"Uh-huh, sure," Jess replied incredulously. "We were just gonna walk around town for a while, so can we leave our car here?"

"Oh, sure. So I guess you're taking them on the Jess Mariano memorial crime tour?"

He glared at her in response.

"What you guys need is a tour guide that actually _likes _this town," Lorelai told the newcomers.

"I like this town fine."

"Liar."

"Yeah."

"Some things never change."

"Do you always talk that quickly?" Chris asked.

"Hey, life's short. Talk fast."

"The Gilmore maxim."

"Oh, how long are you staying?"

"We were gonna leave tonight."

"Can you stay overnight, or something, because Sookie wanted to make you dinner?"

"Huh?"

"Who's Sookie?" Mike asked with a raised hand.

"She's the chef here at the inn," Lorelai explained quickly.

"_Why_ would Sookie want to cook _me_ dinner?"

"Well…the last time you were here it was during the holidays and it was hectic and she didn't even get to see you and now you're back and that's as good an excuse as any for Sookie to make a whole bunch of food so she wanted to do it tonight, so can you?"

"I don't know."

"We can stay," Chris answered.

"But—"

"I outrank you," Chris reminded him. "Matt can make it until tomorrow afternoon. Besides, free food."

"Awesome!" Mike exclaimed.

"Fine. I guess we'll just crash at Luke's," Jess relented.

"Yeah, that'll work," Lorelai replied happily. "Just let me grab my coat and I'll take you on a real tour of the town."

Jess motioned for the guys to wait outside as he followed Lorelai to her office. "Okay, what the hell is actually going on here?" he asked her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sookie making me dinner? Pretty sure Sookie hates me as much as the rest of this town."

"Just because you skipped out on the last dinner she made you does not mean she hates you."

"Lorelai, please. Could you just tell me the truth before Kirk hits me in the forehead with it?"

"Fine," Lorelai said as she pulled on her coat. "My idea was actually just to have Luke make dinner at the diner or something and have you actually share a room and a meal with your mother for at least an hour. And you'll like Doula if you give her a chance. She's like your female mini-me."

"So, how did you get from Luke to Sookie?"

"Well," she began, her face tightening into false comfort, "Friday night, after Rory took off for Philadelphia, Luke told me about Dean, and we went to his apartment, and I might have gotten a little loud with him."

"Meaning the whole state of Connecticut heard you?"

"Probably," Lorelai answered sheepishly. "Anyway, the story reached Miss Patty's ears, and so now the whole town thinks you were being quite gallant for trying to protect Rory's feelings like that. I, however, think you were just being stupid. Regardless, Sookie offered to make you dinner and here we are."

Jess chuckled and shook his head. "This town is so weird."

"If it makes you feel better, I'm sure Taylor still hates you and Kirk will run at the sight of you."

"Thanks. I would hate for one good deed to wipe out all my street cred."

* * *

"Hey, I'm gonna look in here," Jess said when the foursome was in front of Stars Hollow Books.

"Okay, I'll just take them on to Luke's."

"Yeah, I'll meet you there," he said before ducking into the store.

Jess' love affair with books was different from Rory's. She liked to read because every word taught her something new and exciting and there was nothing Rory liked more than learning. Jess just liked the smell of paper. That was how it started. Then he liked the escape the words on the page could give him. He lived in one of the most diverse cities in the world for most of his life and he still felt trapped until he read his first book. He didn't want to learn from books; he wanted to live in books.

"You're back in town?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just for the day," he told Andrew.

"Well, you know where everything is. Don't steal anything."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

He looked around for a minute before he realized the selection wasn't nearly as good as it used to be. Foot-wide gaps existed on every shelf. The Shakespeare section was scant and the popular fiction shelves only contained several copies of each of the _Twilight _novels, two copies of _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_, a lonely copy of the last _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ book, and, oddly, _The Subsect_.

"What is this doing up here?" Jess asked, holding up the copy of his book.

"Oh, I think Luke brought it in a few months ago."

"Huh. Nice to know he still loves me," Jess muttered, re-shelving the book.

"I think he just wanted other people to read it," Andrew offered helpfully.

"That's nice because only about six people _have_ read it…or need to."

"Don't beat yourself up. I liked it."

"You read it?" Jess asked incredulously.

"Of course. I didn't put it there, though. Rory did that last week and threatened me with bodily harm if I moved it."

Jess allowed himself a satisfied smirk before moving on. "What's with all the empty shelves? The Bard's getting lonely back there."

"I'm moving."

"To Plum Street?"

"To New York."

"Really?"

"Yeah, an old buddy of mine is opening up a shop in the Village, and the kids have graduated, so there's nothing holding me here, so I decided to join him."

"Wow."

"I know. Big move, but it's not like I was serving the literati of the world from Stars Hollow."

"Aw, don't beat yourself up," Jess repeated with a hint of sarcasm.

"Are you going to buy anything?"

"Uh…I'm not into vampires, so probably not."

"Then will you please leave?"

"Fine," Jess said, smirking. As he walked toward Luke's, he looked back on the bookstore with a new air of sadness while a few stray thoughts tickled romantic notions into his brain.

* * *

"Dude, your mom looks like Diane Keaton!"

"Huh?" Jess asked as he hung his jacket on the coat tree by the door of the diner.

"Give it a rest, Mike," Chris told him.

"She looked more like Diane Keaton than his dad looked like Al Pacino," Mike continued excitedly.

"What's his deal?" Lorelai asked Jess.

"He's racist."

"I am not!"

"You totally are," Chris confirmed.

"He thinks everyone that's marginally Italian is in the mafia," Jess explained to Lorelai.

"I do not! But look at you! And you're from New York!"

"But he moved to Philadelphia, which means he's really just interested in going the distance," Lorelai told them.

They blinked and Mike and Chris said, "Huh?" in unison.

"My God, did none of you see the _first_ Rocky movie?"

"Before our time," Jess told her, "and it was kind of lame, especially for you."

"I have been off my game lately," she admitted.

"So, is Liz here?" Jess asked, looking around the diner.

"No, she was going grocery shopping, and Doula is apparently related to you because she has a tendency to just take things off of shelves."

Jess rolled his eyes at her.

"She's just over at that table coloring," Lorelai told him, motioning over her shoulder. "You should go talk to her."

"That's okay," Jess replied dismissively.

"If you don't, I'll call your girlfriend and have her guilt trip you into it," Lorelai threatened, waving her cell phone in his face.

"That is so mature."

"Hello! Since when have I been the mature one? Now, go!" she said, shoving him toward his sister.

"Okay…his family is officially more dysfunctional than the Corleones," Mike declared as Cesar delivered their food.

"Eat, stoner boy," Lorelai ordered.

* * *

"I know you," Doula said, looking up from her coloring page.

"Do ya now?" Jess asked sitting down across from her.

"You my brother. I only seen you in pictures."

"Then we're even. I haven't seen a picture of you since you were first born. You're bigger now."

"Yes, I am," she replied, reaching for one of the menus on the table and opening it.

"You can read?" Jess asked incredulously.

"No. I just like words better 'an pictures."

Jess smiled at that. "What's your favorite?" he asked, leaning across the table.

"Vernacular," she said slowly and deliberately.

"_Where_ did you hear a word like that?"

* * *

"Did you do that?" Luke asked, motioning his head toward Jess and Doula.

Lorelai smiled mischievously and nodded as he filled up her cup. "I'm brilliant. It's why you love me."

"One of many reasons," Luke assured her before kissing her quickly.

"Dude, they're gonna be step-cousins!" Mike muttered to Chris. "This place is totally whacked-out."

"_You're_ totally whacked-out," Chris muttered back.

* * *

Rory looked down at her phone and smiled.

"Ugh," Amelia groaned dramatically. "You're so sickening. All he has to do is call and you're all schoolgirl-y."

"Oh, shut up," Rory muttered before answering her phone. "Hey, you."

"Hey," Jess' voice said back. "Just thought I'd tell you I took your copy of _The Sound and the Fury_."

"How'd you get in the house?"

"The entire eastern sea board knows where your mother keeps the spare key. Andrew is closing the bookstore, so your collection was my only option."

"Mom told me about Andrew. I nearly cried."

"I would have, but I am _way_ too cool," Jess told her. "Your mom shanghaied me into dinner with Liz tonight."

"I know."

"You got a crystal ball in that car with you?"

"I have a cell phone and a very sharing mother," Rory explained.

"Warning would have been nice."

"Tough."

"Cruel woman."

"I'm proud of you," Rory said seriously after a short pause.

"For what?" Jess asked, clearly surprised.

"For volunteering to go to Stars Hollow. I know you hate it."

"It has its good points."

Rory smiled. "Sounds like somebody met their baby sister."

"Yeah, I met her."

She could hear the smile in his voice. "You adore her, don't you?"

"Eh, she's better than some little sisters I've met."

Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Her favorite word is vernacular," Jess said. "What toddler's favorite word is vernacular?"

"Apparently Doula's," she replied.

"I wish you were here."

"I wish I was there too."

"Oh my God! I'm gonna fall into a diabetic coma if you guys keep this up!"

"I should go before Amelia melts down on me. Don't try bailing out the window tonight."

"I won't. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Amelia rolled her eyes as Rory snapped her phone shut. "Seriously, you guys _are_ disgusting."

* * *

"Jess! You're bulkier! In a good way," Sookie quickly added, giggling nervously.

"Uh…thank you," Jess answered uncertainly.

"You do do dairy, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I do."

"I'm lactose intolerant," Mike said, earning him rolled eyes from Jess, an elbow in the ribs from Chris and a giggle from Lorelai.

"Oh, that's fine. We'll just put you on the Kirk menu," Sookie said before rushing back to the kitchen.

"He's kind of your Kirk, isn't he?" Lorelai whispered to Jess.

"Yeah, he even runs around naked sometimes."

"Jess!" Doula cried, running in ahead of her mother and uncle.

"Hey," Jess replied, picking her up.

"Oh my gosh!" Lorelai practically squealed, tears forming in her eyes.

"What is wrong with you?" Luke asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Nothing. Just had a weird, emotional moment. It's over now," she explained. "Where's TJ?"

"Oh, he had to help his brother move his business. He'll be gone for a couple of days," Liz answered.

"Really?" Jess asked, trying not to sound too overjoyed.

"Don't get so excited," his mother told him before lightly smacking his face. "How you doing, kiddo?"

"I'm good, Liz," he assured her as Doula rested her head on his shoulder.

The group started to walk into the dining room when Michel called out, "Phone for you, Lorelai. It is your mother."

"Can you take a message?"

"Can I? Yes. Will I? No."

"Ugh," she groaned before walking back to the front desk.

They started dinner without Lorelai because Sookie just couldn't wait. She made pot roast with all the trimmings and several varieties grilled cheese sandwiches. It was much like the first dinner party Lorelai threw for Jess except there were even more people present. Jackson and Sookie had their kids, and Lane and Zach were present with their boys and their bass player, Brian.

When Lorelai finally got to the table, she handed Jess an opened bottle of beer and said, "So you don't have to steal one."

"What's that all about?" Chris asked.

"He stole a beer from my fridge the first time he came over to my house," Lorelai explained as she took her seat.

"Wow, Jess. You were a beer stealer, a gnome thief, and a fake murderer. You were so much more interesting when you were troubled," Chris told him.

"What else did he do?" Mike asked.

Everyone started talking at once and Jess glared at Lorelai. "You're gonna make me sit here and take this, aren't you."

She smiled her best million-watt smile and said, "Of course I am."

* * *

Doula ate her mousse cake while sitting in Jess' lap. Lorelai smiled at the sight of them.

"You know, I never thought you'd be good with kids," she told him.

"I'm not. She's just weird," Jess replied, pointing at the little girl on his lap.

"Meany," Doula declared before sticking her tongue out at him.

"Don't do that, sweetie. It's disgusting," Liz admonished.

"Don't let him fool you Ms. Gilmore," Chris said between bites. "The Fletcher kids—they live above us—they all love Jess.

"They do not," Jess protested, reddening at the ears.

"Yeah, they do," Mike corrected. "You don't talk to them like they're all two. You act like they're just short people and they adore you for it."

"Awww," Lorelai cooed.

"And once again the fool speaks wisdom," Chris pronounced dramatically, earning him a smack on the back of the head from Jess.

"Okay, I'm stuffed to the gills and it's way past this one's bedtime," Liz said, standing and motioning toward the toddler in her son's arms. "Say goodnight, Doula."

"Goodnight, Doula," the little girl repeated.

"Oh dear God," Liz muttered, picking up her daughter as everyone chuckled at the smart-aleck remark.

"You call me anytime, okay? And come and see your sister occasionally."

"Sure, Liz," Jess replied with a half-hearted smile. Luke looked at him dubiously, but didn't say anything.

Zach and Brian said their goodbyes, each of them holding a child. Lane was holding something behind her back when she asked to speak to Jess in entry hall.

"Can I be honest?" she asked.

"You usually are, unless your mother is involved," he replied.

"I never thought you were good enough for Rory."

Jess looked down at his shoes.

"But I also thought no one fit Rory quite as well as you."

He managed to meet her smiling eyes.

"You're okay, Mariano. Just thought you should know."

"Thanks," he replied simply.

"We trawled every record store in England and found three copies of this, and I thought you might like to have one," she said, handing him the LP she had hidden behind her back.

"Oh my God," he breathed, examining the worn cover of the original issue of _London Calling_.

"It still plays. We figured you could use it to back up one of your readings or something."

"Are you kidding? This'll be the whole show. Thanks, Lane," Jess said, flipping it over to examine the back.

"Welcome home, Jess," she said before hugging him quickly and following her husband and band mate out the door.

Jess stared after her. Her choice of words landed fuzzily on his brain, and he vaguely wondered if he had indeed found a home in a place he once considered hell.

* * *

"What was your mother calling about earlier tonight?"

"Oh, you know, guilt-tripping me about not coming to dinner on Friday, not telling her about Rory's car accident, not telling her about Rory going to Detroit for a story, and for being a disappointment in general. You know, the usual," Lorelai said as she climbed in under the covers. "If she somehow managed to find out about Dean causing the wreck, and Jess being back in town so soon, she probably would have mentioned that too. I swear, sometimes I don't think we're related."

"You think you'll make nice before the wedding?"

"Maybe."

"You think you could try?"

"Why do you suddenly care so much whether me and my parents are getting along?"

"I don't know. I just think it would be nice to have one set of parents present at our wedding. Mine won't be there without benefit of divine intervention."

"You're sweet," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Does this mean you'll make up in the next two weeks?"

"I'll do my best."

* * *

Lorelai tossed and turned while Luke slept deeply next to her. At around two in the morning, she pushed off the covers, pulled on her boots, grabbed her coat, left Luke a note in case he actually woke up, and set out into the New England chill. She smiled when she saw the lights on at the diner.

"Hey there, crazy hair," she said to the young man scribbling in a notebook behind the counter.

"My hair's not that crazy anymore," he told her.

"Eh, it rhymes."

"Is it too early or too late for coffee?"

"Never too early or too late for coffee," she said as she sat down on a stool.

Jess poured her a cup and let the comfortable silence hang in the air.

"Whatcha doing up so late, slugger?"

"What's with all the nick-names?"

"Well, I figured I should expand beyond hoodlum, hooligan, and other words that begin with 'h'."

"Very considerate of you."

"I'm in the hospitality industry. So what _are_ you doing up at this hour?"

"Couldn't sleep. Got a text from Rory saying she uploaded her first video. Don't think she intended for me to watch it at two in the morning, but that's what I did. What's with you, Lorelai?"

"I don't know. I've just had this weird insomnia lately. Maybe it's because your uncle snores."

"I know. I lived with him in a one-room apartment for two years," he replied, pointing upward.

"You snore too, by the way."

"I've been told."

"Oh! Did Luke get you to get your fitting for your tux?"

"Yes. He dragged me halfway down the street by my shirt collar before he realized it wasn't necessary."

"Awww…I love my take-charge honey. So why couldn't you sleep?"

"Just something Lane said."

"Did Lane say something mean to you?" Lorelai asked jokingly.

"She said welcome home."

"How awful of her," she deadpanned.

"Well, it just got me to thinking what home actually was. I mean, I love Truncheon, and Philly is great, but I don't love it the way I loved New York. And New York, it doesn't feel right anymore either, which is completely insane. I _hated_ this place. Hated it, and it hated me right back, and I was fine with that arrangement. But now…it feels…comfortable, and it's kind of freaking me out."

"This town does have that effect on people," Lorelai explained. "You know, I'd never really been anywhere without my parents before I ran away and landed here. This town took me in, finished raising me, and helped me raise my daughter. The whole place could burn to the ground, and I still wouldn't leave."

"That's just because you're stubborn."

"You're not exactly a pushover yourself, mister. I think that's why I…disliked you so much when you first came to town. You were just too damned much like me."

"You tried to tell me that once."

"You didn't listen. I don't know why I was surprised you didn't listen at the time. I wouldn't have listened when I was that age."

"But you didn't get mad at me that night because I wasn't listening to you," he told her.

"What?" she asked in mock insult.

"You got mad because I accused you of sleeping with Luke."

"Which was completely unfounded, I might add."

"In no variation of the English language does the word incredibly have seven syllables."

"It was not seven syllables."

"It was pretty close, and I obviously had a better handle on things than you gave me credit for."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, you're sleeping with him now."

"Ha! I am not sleeping with him. I'm sitting here, drinking coffee."

"That's because your tastes have obviously shifted to younger and much better looking men."

She reached up and smacked him on the head. He shoved her hand away saying, "There's a nurse in Philly that will be very mad if I break my stitches again."

Lorelai's face softened. "Did he deserve it?"

"Yeah, he deserved it," Jess replied, meeting her eyes.

She groaned slightly and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess the lack of sleep is just catching up with me."

"You want a ride back to the house?"

"No, I—"

Jess barely made it around the counter in time to catch Lorelai before she collapsed onto the cold diner floor.


	12. Chapter 12: Looking Like Elijah Wood

A/N: Hello, lovely people. I've been watching a lot of Gilmore Girls lately (the second and third seasons at the same time), so now I talk really fast and drink a lot of coffee. This also means that my Literati education is almost complete and I feel much more competent writing this thing now. Thanks to all of you who've read and reviewed! Keep it up because reviews are love.

* * *

Rory groaned as her phone started ringing. A glance at the clock told her it was four in the morning. Suddenly grateful Amelia was a heavy sleeper; she picked up the phone and groggily said, "Hello."

"Rory, uh, don't freak out."

"Jess, what's going on?" Rory asked, turning on the light and sitting bolt upright in bed.

"Your mom is in the ER."

"What? Why?"

"I-we-we don't know yet," Jess answered. "I couldn't sleep and I was in the diner and Lorelai showed up saying she couldn't sleep either and we had coffee and she collapsed and she told me to take her home, but Luke freaked out when we got there and she was still woozy and Luke and I brought her here. The doctors still haven't told us anything."

"Oh my God!" Rory cried, throwing off the covers.

"What's going on?" Amelia asked, finally stirring.

"She just collapsed?"

"Yeah."

"Was she complaining of pain, or fatigue, or anything?" Rory asked, pacing back and forth across the tiny hotel room.

"Not really," Jess answered. "She just collapsed."

"Luke. What about Luke? Is he freaking out?"

"He's doing what you're probably doing right now: pacing furiously."

Rory stopped in her tracks and laughed mirthlessly. Amelia sat up in her bed and turned on the light. Rory held up a hand to wave off further questions.

"H-has anyone called my grandparents?"

"Rory," he replied simply.

"Okay, yeah, stupid question."

"Hey, it looks like there's a doctor coming."

"Let me hear what he says."

* * *

"Are you Lorelai Gilmore's fiancé?" the young, thin doctor said as he approached Luke.

Jess stepped closer to them as Luke replied, "Yeah, I am. Is she okay? What happened?"

"Your fiancée is just suffering from anemia. It happens sometimes in the early stages of pregnancy."

"Huh?" Luke asked.

Jess smirked as Rory made a shocked sound on the other end of the phone.

"It's nothing too serious. You'll just have to be very careful about her diet for the next few months."

"Huh?"

"We're just going to keep her for another few hours to make sure she's stable, and then we'll let her go home."

"Huh?"

"Oh. You didn't know, did you?" the doctor asked.

Rory was openly laughing on the other end of the phone.

"I-uh-she-she's in 212 if you want to talk to her," the doctor said before sheepishly slipping away.

"I guess you heard," Jess said, still smirking.

"Oh my God, yes!" Rory squealed. "Is Luke okay?"

"I think he's in a vegetative state," Jess replied, waving a hand in front of his uncle's face.

"Did I just imagine that conversation?" Luke asked frantically.

"Nope."

"I'm gonna be a father?"

"Yeah."

"He should probably sit down," Rory suggested.

"Luke, come on," Jess said, guiding his uncle toward on of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the hospital waiting room. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute," Luke said, staring into space.

"Jess, can I talk to my mom?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back," he said to Luke before making his way down the hall. He found Lorelai sitting up in her hospital bed, an IV coming out of one arm. She squirmed nervously and bit down on her thumbnail.

"Lorelai, hey," Jess said, walking into the room. "Rory wants to talk to you."

"Thanks, Jess. Where's Luke?"

"He's freaking out. I'll send him in when he's regained full power of speech."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. And Lorelai?"

"Yeah."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks, Jess."

As he rounded the corner, he heard the unmistakable sound of a Gilmore girl screaming for joy. He found Luke sitting in the same chair, staring at the same spot on the opposite wall.

"I'm going to be a father."

"You do remember that you already are a father?" Jess asked sarcastically. "You know, teenaged girl, curly hair, glasses, _way_ smarter than you, goes by the name of April?"

"Smart ass," Luke muttered. "You know what I mean."

"Actually, I don't. Enlighten me."

"I've never had a kid before. I never got to see April's first steps or hear her first word."

"Then what are doing sitting here, talking to me? You've got the woman you've been in love with since…forever and she's having your kid."

Luke looked over at him dubiously. "Where are you getting all this?"

"Life. I've lived," Jess replied, smirking.

"You're a real pain in my ass, you know that?"

"I do my best," Jess said, standing up. "You want me to open the diner for you?"

"No, it'll open when it opens. Go get some sleep."

Jess nodded and watched as his uncle walked down the hall to his fiancée's room.

* * *

"Mom, you're having a baby!"

"I know, I know!"

"Luke is going to make you eat healthy."

"He can try."

"Mom, you've already passed out once from not eating right."

"Hey, I didn't change my diet when I was pregnant with you."

"Yeah, but you were living with Grandma and Grandpa, and now you're, you know, older."

"Are you calling your mommy old?"

"I'm simply stating the obvious."

"You know what?" Lorelai asked in an almost conspiratorial tone.

"What?"

"I'm excited."

"So am I, Mom. I'm so happy for you."

"Oh, babe, Luke's here. I gotta go."

"Give him a kiss for me."

"I will. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mom."

Rory snapped her phone shut and looked across the room at Amelia's smiling face.

"So, your mom's having a baby?"

"Yeah," Rory answered, barely able to contain her glee.

"Would you like somebody to jump up and down and scream with you?"

"Absolutely!"

* * *

"Hey," Lorelai said, setting Jess' phone aside as Luke walked into the room.

"Hey," he replied.

"I had no idea…"

"I know you didn't."

"If I did, I would have told you first, or I might have told Rory first. No, I probably would have told you together. Oh my God, what am I going to tell my parents? And the town? They're gonna know something's up, and—"

"Hey," Luke said, cupping her face in both of his hands, "we're going to have a baby."

Lorelai smiled as a tear escaped from her eye. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she said, "Yeah, we're going to have a baby."

* * *

"Jess, hey, Jess."

"Go away," he replied into his pillow.

"But Matt and Kat are getting married. Matt and Kat. That's funny."

Jess groaned and rolled over to look up at Mike's goofy grin. "What?" he asked.

"Matt proposed while we were gone and they're sort of, you know, _using_ the apartment, so Chris and I thought we'd stay another day."

"You woke me up to tell me I can sleep some more?"

"Uh…"

"Go away, Mike," Jess groaned, rolling over and covering his head with a pillow.

"Sourpatch kid," Mike muttered before leaving Jess alone in the apartment.

Jess had almost succumbed to sleep when he felt something poking his back. He turned violently and yelled, "Mike! What the hell is wrong with—oh…"

He swallowed his rant when he saw Doula staring at him with wide eyes and a slight smile.

"You said a bad word," she told him.

He rolled his eyes and said, "You woke me up. You had it coming."

Doula giggled as her mother peered in from the open door. "Oh my God, Jess, I'm sorry. She got away from me," Liz explained, rushing into the room.

"It's okay," he assured her as Doula climbed onto the bed and sat down next to her brother.

"She's just full of energy today. I took her out of the house so she could run some of it off, but it doesn't seem to have helped. I really need to get some work done before we go back out on the circuit."

"You want me to take her?" Jess asked preemptively. He knew that's where Liz was headed as soon as she started talking.

"Are you sure? I heard you had kind of a rough night."

"It's fine. I got enough sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Liz, I'm sure," he said, standing up and gently guiding her toward the door. "Will you get out of here, already?"

"Aw, thanks, Jess," Liz said, drawing him into an unwilling hug. "Just bring her by the house in a couple of hours."

"Okay, sure," he replied as she closed the door behind her.

He looked back at the two-year-old sitting on his bed. She blinked at him and said, "Why you call Mommy Liz?"

"That's her name," Jess answered, unbuttoning his hopelessly wrinkled shirt.

"Isn't she your mommy too?" Doula asked, pulling the book from the nightstand onto her lap.

"Yeah," Jess replied, surprised to find a green sweater he'd left behind years earlier in the closet.

"Then why you call Mommy Liz?" Doula asked as her brother pulled the sweater on over his t-shirt.

"I, uh, I don't really remember," Jess lied. "How about you just let me call her Liz and you can call her Mommy all you want?"

"Okay," she agreed opening the book on her lap.

He sat down next to her and said, "You know that book doesn't have any pictures."

She nodded and pointed to one of Jess' notes in the margins. "What's that?"

"That's where I wrote a note to the person that owns the book," he attempted to explain.

"Why?"

"Because I like sharing my thoughts with her."

"Oh."

Jess blinked when she didn't continue asking why until his head hurt. Even the Fletcher's seven-year-old did that and it drove him insane.

"You're easy to please, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"You want some ice cream?"

"In cones?"

Jess smiled one of his rare, genuine smiles. "In cones!"

* * *

"This assignment is depressing," Rory said as they climbed into their car after their second interview with a former autoworker.

"Yes, yes, it is," Amelia agreed. "We've got interviews with some of the management at GM this afternoon. You can eviscerate them and maybe that'll cheer you up."

"Maybe," Rory said as her phone started to ring. She flipped it open and said, "Hey, Mom."

"Sid or Nancy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Nick or Nora?"

"Huh?"

"Tristan or Isolde?"

"Mom! What are you talking about?"

"Baby names! You have to help me pick."

"Mom, how far along are you?" Rory asked calmly.

"About a month."

"And when did you think about names for me?"

"Uh…never, which is probably why you wound up with the starkly original name of Lorelai."

"You still don't have to start thinking about names right now, especially without the _father_ of your child."

"You know, I guess you're right," Lorelai admitted. "I'm glad I'm pregnant."

"I'm glad you're glad."

"It totally explains all the weird thoughts I've been having lately."

"Like what?"

"Like how I determined yours and Jess' kids are all going to look like Elijah Wood."

Rory's face went completely blank. "What?"

"Yeah, they'll have your eyes and chin, Jess' nose and hair, and the pale thing they'd get from both of you, and am I freaking you out because I suddenly realized that this conversation could totally be freaking you out?"

"Just a little bit," Rory told her, her voice a little squeakier than normal.

"Sorry, sweetie. I tend not to think about what I'm saying when I'm pregnant."

"You have to be pregnant for that?" Rory asked incredulously.

"Hey, watch it, kid. I brought you into this world, I can take you out."

"You'd have to come all the way to Detroit to do it, and there's no way Luke would let you come all that way carrying his progeny."

"Don't say progeny. It reminds me too much of _The Omen_."

"Okay, fine. I'll keep my extensive vocabulary in check for your benefit."

"Thank you. And, hon, I'm sorry about the whole kids thing."

"It's okay. Elijah Wood is pretty adorable."

"So true. I love you, sweets."

"Love you, too, Mom," she said before snapping her phone shut.

"Okay, not that it's not true, but why is Elijah Wood adorable?"

"Oh, Mom's decided mine and Jess' kids are going to look like Elijah Wood," Rory explained simply.

Amelia thought about it a moment before saying, "Oh my God, they totally would! Jess' hair, your eyes, his nose, your chin. The pale complexion the kid would get from both of you…"

"Amelia!"

"Okay, sorry, but that kid will be _so _adorable."

"Just drive!"

* * *

"Okay, we've had ice cream, we've been to the bookstore, you are apparently going to _pretend_ to read _The Magician's Nephew_, now what do we do?" Jess asked, holding Doula's hand as they walked down the street.

"Candy!"

"Huh. Return you to Liz with a massive sugar high. Why not?"

"Yay!" Doula cried as she pulled him into Doose's.

He held the basket as they walked down the candy aisle. Doula put one of everything she could reach into the basket and pointed to things she couldn't reach.

"Somebody went to the Lorelai Gilmore school of binge eating," Jess muttered.

"What?"

"Nevermind," he said, taking her hand as they rounded a corner.

He froze while the figure in front of them glared. Jess tightened his grip on his sister's hand and she shrunk into his side. Dean scoffed at them.

"What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," he explained shortly.

"Right. Right. Because you just_ love_ this town, don't you?" Dean said sarcastically.

Jess rolled his eyes and replied, "We've come to an understanding."

"You probably think you're the better man now."

"Don't do this," Jess asked, glancing down at the frightened toddler holding his hand.

"She's just going to do to you what she does to everyone. You know that, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jess?" Doula asked, quaking.

"She's just recycling you like she did with me, and when she's done with you, she'll just toss you away again."

"Shut up."

"She tossed me away for you and then she did it again because I didn't fit into her high-class Yale world. She never went through you twice. It's just her way."

"Get out of my way, Dean," Jess said, shoving him and picking up his sister.

"But I wanted candy," Doula told him when they were out in the street.

"It's okay," he assured her. "I know someone who keeps a secret stash."

* * *

"Wow."

Dean turned toward the voice to see Lane staring at him with an angry expression. "What do you want?" he asked as he continued to stack cans of peas.

"How could you say something like that about someone you loved? Scratch that. How could you say something like that about _anyone_?" Lane asked, her free hand planted on her hip.

"Just being honest with the guy," Dean said nonchalantly.

"You son of a bitch!" Lane screamed, her fist suddenly clenched at her sides.

"Excuse me?" Dean said, finally abandoning his peas.

"You only see things _your_ way. You know, technically, you dumped Rory not once, not twice, but _three_ times. You turned her into the other woman because you weren't willing to work on your own marriage, and marriage is hard. I know because I've been married for more than forty-five seconds. And, you know what? Three blind mice can see that Jess loves her more than you ever did and in a way that you never did. He became a better man for her. What the hell did _you_ do for her?"

Lane shoved her half-full basket into his arms and huffed out into the street.

* * *

Lorelai rolled over in her bed. The phone wasn't ringing. No one was knocking at the door. She could, however, hear voices downstairs. She quietly padded down the staircase to find Jess and Doula rummaging through her cabinets.

"Uh…can I help you?"

"Oh, sorry. We were just looking for your candy stash."

"Right here," Lorelai said, pulling the bag out from under the counter where the coffee maker was located and handing it to Doula. "Is there a reason you had to come _here_ for candy?"

"Mean man at Doose's," Doula explained.

"Oh, you mean Taylor? The guy with the beard and the cardigan?"

"Nope. Tall boy. Funny hair."

"Uh-huh," Lorelai said, realization dawning as she glanced over at Jess. "Doula, sweetie, could you go watch TV in the other room?"

"Okay."

When she was gone, Lorelai looked at Jess who was skillfully avoiding her gaze.

"Jess," she began.

"I don't want to hear it, Lorelai."

"I'm not gonna have a heart-to-heart with you here. The last time I did that I wound up pregnant."

"That sounded wrong."

"Yes, it did," Lorelai agreed, "but one of the main reasons you and Rory busted up in high school—other than the you running off to California thing—was because you never talked to her when something was bothering you. And _I_ had to deal with the subsequent freaking out you caused."

"Is there a point to any of this?"

"I don't know what Dean said, but I'm sure he was saying it to hurt you, and…you need to talk to Rory about it, or it's going to eat you alive."

"Duly noted," Jess said, walking past her and into the living room. "C'mon, Doula, I gotta get you back to Liz."

"But…candy," she said, holding up the bag.

"Just stuff as much as you can in your pockets."

When Doula's pockets were overflowing, Jess picked her up and carried her toward the door.

"Jess," Lorelai called after him.

"I heard you," he called back.

"Yeah, but were you listening?" she muttered at a closed door.

* * *

"You were right. That was fun," Rory said as she and Amelia made their way back to their car after an interview with a member of GM's extensive management team.

"I knew it would be," Amelia said as she loaded her camera in the back of their vehicle. "We'll get this edited tonight and posted by tomorrow morning. Then we can start tripping to California. Have to say I'm not as excited about it as Lucy and Ricky."

"Yeah, I know. Neither am I. I'd rather be in Philadelphia."

"You're sickeningly in love."

"I know."

Rory's phone started ringing and Amelia rolled her eyes. "Just remember I'm in the car," Amelia told her.

"Don't worry, it's Lane," Rory told her. "Hey, Lane, what's up?"

"Why do all the guys you date have a creep phase?"

"Huh?"

"Jess and Logan were creeps _while_ you were dating them. Jess seems to have gotten over it. Don't know about Logan."

"Lane, what are you talking about?"

"Dean! He's a total creep now. He told Jess you were just recycling him and he did it loudly, in the middle of Doose's, in front of his sister!"

"Clara was there?"

"Not Dean's sister. Jess' sister."

"Why would he do that?"

"It's his creep phase. I told you."

"What happened? Did Dean and Jess get into a fight, or…"

"No. It's like I said; Dean is a creep now, and Jess has gotten over that part of his life, so he just picked Doula up and walked out."

"Why would Dean say something like that?" Rory asked quietly as Amelia pulled out into the sunlight.

"I don't know. You did break up and get back together with him a couple of times."

"But it's not that way with Jess. Jess is practically a different person now. What we have is working."

"You know that. I know that. Amelia knows that. Kirk probably even has an inkling, but Dean doesn't see it that way, and he's apparently a pompous ass."

"Will you come with me to castrate Dean when I get back to Stars Hollow?"

"Oh, sweetie, I'm bringing the knives."

"Alright, I'll see you then."

"I'll have my blades sharpened and ready to go."

"Bye, Lane."

"Bye."

Amelia looked over at her and said, "So…why are you planning to un-man your ex-boyfriend?"

Rory sighed and replied, "He told Jess I was recycling him."

"Harsh."

"I don't know. Maybe it's true. I broke up and got back together with both Dean and Logan, and I didn't do that with Jess. It's not that we didn't have the chance to, but the timing was…until now…oh, my God, am I a horrible person?"

"No, Rory, you're not a horrible person," Amelia assured her. "You're just human. You've made mistakes."

"Should I call him? He's probably thinking all sorts of horrible things right now."

"Let him call you."

"He's Jess. He's not exactly into sharing."

"If he's not into sharing, you calling him is not going to make a difference."

"But—"

Amelia grabbed the phone from her hands and tossed it in the backseat. Rory gaped, but Amelia smiled serenely. "We'll answer if he calls."

"Meany."

* * *

Jess walked into Liz's house and set Doula down on the floor. Liz emerged from the kitchen smiling.

"Hey, I was wondering when you guys were going to show up. Did you have fun?"

"I got book," Doula announced, holding up her copy of _The Magician's Nephew_.

"That's great, sweetie," Liz answered, looking directly at her obviously uncomfortable son. "Hey, why don't you go play in your room for a while?"

"Okay," Doula replied, skipping toward the back of the house.

"I should go," Jess said, turning toward the door.

"Jess, wait," his mother said, grabbing his arm. "Is something wrong? You're acting a little weird."

"How do you know this isn't how I always act?"

"Jess, I'm your mother."

"No. You're _her_ mother."

"Jess!"

"Stop it! Just stop! You know, she asked me today why I call you Liz. How exactly do you tell a three-year-old that their mother wasn't around for you when you were their age? That she was always drunk or high. I didn't even understand what a mother was. Sometimes I still don't! You can be her mother. Fine! But you can't be mine. It's too late. I don't need you, and I don't _want_ you!"

He hardly had time to notice the tears welling in Liz's eyes or the toddler weeping from a hidden doorway. The screen door banged shut behind him as he trudged into the street. He didn't know how many steps or deep breaths he'd taken before he stopped in the middle of the bridge. Hands shaking from the cold and the adrenalin, he removed his phone from his pocket and dialed the only person he wanted to talk to.

* * *

"It's your boyfriend," Amelia said, holding the ringing phone out to Rory without looking away from her laptop screen.

Rory abandoned her bowl of ice cream and jumped up from the bed to grab the phone from her friend's hand. "Hey," she answered quickly before it went to voicemail.

"Hey." Rory could hear the shakiness in his voice even over the phone. Sensing this was going to be a hard conversation, she walked into the hotel room's tiny bathroom and locked the door.

"Jess, is everything okay?" she asked, sitting down in the tub.

"Yeah, I, uh…no, not really," he admitted reluctantly.

"What's wrong?"

"I just kind of melted down on Liz and I'm pretty sure Doula saw and heard everything."

"What did you say to her?"

"I told her I didn't want her to try and act like my mother because she wasn't when I needed her to be," he explained quietly. "I kind of had a bad day and it all just came out."

Rory nodded though he couldn't see her and took a deep breath, determined to make him tell her the whole truth. "What made your day so bad?" she asked. "Did you not get enough sleep?"

"No, I got enough sleep."

When he didn't continue, Rory said, "Jess, I'm not going to let you shut down and freeze me out. I'm not going to let you get away with that now."

Jess sighed deeply. "I, um, well, Liz left Doula with me early this afternoon and we got ice cream and went to the bookstore and then she wanted candy, so we went to Doose's and Dean was there."

"What did he say?"

"Just…stuff."

"Jess."

"He-he said you were recycling me like you did with him. I never wanted to hit the guy so badly and I have really, _really_ wanted to hit that guy before."

"I know, but you didn't."

"No, I had my sister with me."

"You wouldn't have hit him even if she wasn't with you."

"You think?" he asked incredulously.

"I know," she corrected. "Jess, unlike Dean, you've changed. You've grown up. He's still selfish and possessive, but you're not inconsiderate and cruel anymore. And I've screwed up. I've made huge, monstrous mistakes, but I never made any of them with you. I chose you and I'm still choosing you. You are the better man, and don't let Dean—who is full of shit, by the way—tell you any different. Jess? Jess, are you still there?"

"Yeah," he answered finally. "I love you, Rory."

"I love you, too, Jess," she told him, smiling. "Are you going to talk to your mom? You know you unloaded on her because of everything that's happened in the last few days."

"I know," he replied simply.

"I'd give you a hug if I could."

"I'd give you more than a hug."

"Dirty."

"Yeah, I know," he told her. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"I, uh, I'll try to come to Philadelphia to see you next weekend before the wedding, so you can get that hug."

"I'll start crossing the days off on the calendar."

"Don't hesitate to talk to me, Jess. It's what I'm here for. I love you."

"I love you, too, Rory."

* * *

"I cannot believe that kid!" Luke said angrily when Liz was finished relaying her encounter with Jess.

"Luke, calm down," Lorelai said, resting a hand on his arm. "Jess has been going through…a lot the last couple of weeks."

"Wow. You are the last person I would have ever expected to defend Jess."

"He makes my baby genuinely happy. I should be on his side at some point."

"And you should have heard what Dean said to him today," Lane said, passing through on her way to the coffee pot. "It still makes my skin crawl."

"Luke, it's okay," Liz told him. "He wasn't exactly wrong."

"You just don't yell at your mother," Luke reiterated.

"You know, I think you might have been right about the Corleone thing," Chris muttered to Mike from their table in the corner of the diner.

Every head in the room turned toward the ringing bell above the door. Jess glanced up at everyone before returning his gaze to the floor. He walked over to where Liz was sitting at the counter.

"I'm sorry," he said, finally meeting her eyes.

"It's okay," she replied, cupping both sides of her son's face. "I've got more than twenty years of apologies to give."

Liz wrapped her arms around Jess' neck. Reluctantly, he returned the embrace. Luke sighed with relief, and Lorelai smiled.

"You were listening," she said to him when he let go of his mother.

He grinned crookedly and said, "Yeah, I was listening."


	13. Chapter 13: Unlucky Thirteen

A/N: **Luke and Lorelai Brucas Fan** asked me in a review a few chapters back why Jimmy would show up and pick a fight with his son, so, after watching "Here Comes the Son" I decided to write this chapter. I would have really loved to have seen what they were planning for that "Windward Circle", but Milo might have not been available when Heroes came around, and the world would be a darker place. Enjoy...and leave me a review...it's like a free Christmas present.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Amelia asked as she and Rory stood on a sidewalk in Venice, California on the Friday after leaving Detroit.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Rory said, looking into the abundant foliage of the front yard of the house marked 422.

"Well, I'm right behind you, kid," Amelia told her.

Rory stepped reluctantly under the ivied archway toward the wooden gate. She started to unlatch it when a dozen dogs of varying sizes and breeds appeared out of nowhere and started barking. Rory jumped back, dropping her purse on the other side of the fence in the process. Amelia calmly set her bags down and reached over the gate petting and cajoling the canines.

"Come on, guys, get down!" a new voice hollered from the back of the yard.

Rory looked up to see a woman coming through the mass of dogs. Her clothes were loose and comfortable-looking. Bleach-blonde hair peeked out from under a multi-colored scarf on her head. She had intense eyes but an inviting smile.

"Sasha?" Amelia asked as the woman made her way to the gate.

"Do I know you?" she asked dubiously.

"Well, it was like eleven years ago, but yeah. I'm Amelia Davidson."

"Oh, my God!" the woman replied, clearly elated. "You don't look like you're going to starve to death at any moment. I didn't recognize you. Come in. Come in. Whose is this?" she asked, holding up a dirty, but mostly intact purse.

"That'd be mine," Rory replied.

"This is Rory, by the way," Amelia introduced.

"Well, Rory, any friend of Amelia's is a friend of mine," Sasha said, handing over the bag. "Come on inside."

Before they entered the house, Rory caught Amelia's arm and said, "You know Jimmy's girlfriend?"

"Freaky, right? But, hey, she wasn't Jimmy's girlfriend when I knew her," Amelia explained, "and she didn't even live in Windward Circle. She lived in the part of Venice my parents would call 'the hood.' Although, my parents would probably call _all_ of Venice 'the hood.'"

"You guys coming in, or not?"

"Yeah, sure," Amelia answered, adjusting the bags hanging from her shoulders.

"You want tea or coffee?"

"Coffee," Rory and Amelia answered in unison.

"Caffeine addicts. I got it," Sasha said, taking filters down from the cabinet. "What's with all the equipment?"

"Well, actually, this isn't a social visit," Amelia explained, looking to Rory for support as they sat down in the tiny kitchen.

"Yeah, we're doing a series for an e-zine about the collapse of the economy," Rory expounded. "We've been picking random people to interview. We didn't expect an old friend of Amelia's to be living here." It was almost true.

Sasha nodded. "You know, I can probably help you out," she told them. "I know just about everyone around here. I could spread the word and you could have a bunch of interviews knocked out in one night."

"Uh…that would be…great," Rory replied reluctantly. Amelia cocked an eyebrow at her in surprise.

"Okay, just let me make a few phone calls. You girls make yourselves at home. Mugs are in that cabinet when the coffee is finished," Sasha said before grabbing the phone and walking into the other room.

"Are you cracked in the head?" Amelia asked the other woman in the room.

"Maybe."

"We came here to find out why Jimmy was being such a dick to Jess, not to get Sasha to help us with our story."

"I know. I know. It just seemed wrong to refuse her somehow."

"I'll give you that. It's very hard to say no to Sasha."

"How exactly do you know her?"

"Well, when I was seventeen, I sort of took the Okie Dust Bowl refugee trail to California. I landed on the boardwalk, met Sasha, she took me in for about a month until I got on my feet. We stayed in touch for a while, but I haven't really talked to her in about a decade. Oh my God, Lilly probably has her license by now. Lily is Sasha's daughter, by the way. I'm so old."

"Oh, yeah. Twenty-eight. You're ancient," Rory agreed sarcastically.

"C'mon. Let's go snooping. I want to see what Jess' dad looks like," Amelia said, standing up from the table.

"Do they have enough bric-a-brac around here?" Rory muttered, looking at the curios crowded on the walls in the thin hallways.

"Sasha's kind of a packrat."

"Oh. My. God," Rory said as she stepped into a small room.

"Dude," Amelia breathed, following her friend. "I don't think this is Sasha's stuff."

"Must be Jimmy's," Rory concluded, picking up a picture from the desk. "I guess this is him."

Amelia examined the photo and said, "Well, now we know where Jess gets his fabulous bone structure."

"You think my boyfriend has fabulous bone structure?"

"Hey, just because I can't touch doesn't mean I can't look. He also has a great ass, by the way."

Rory shook her head in disbelief. "You disturb me sometimes."

"Build a bridge, sweetheart," Amelia told her, staring at the crowded collection of LPs.

"Lane and Zach's vinyl collection isn't this extensive," Rory mused, her eyes wandering around the room. "He's got some great books here, too. I'm surprised Jess ever left."

"Really, Rory?" Amelia asked incredulously. "You can't imagine _why_ Jess came all the way back across the country?"

Rory unsuccessfully swallowed a smile. "I guess I can…in light of recent events."

They heard a door open and close and a male voice called out, "Sash! You here?"

"Oh, no. What do we do?" Rory asked, mildly panicked. "I don't have a plan. I don't have a list. I don't have anything. This was an idiotic idea, and it was _my_ idea. I'm horrible planner. Impulsive never, never, _never_ works for me. Why did you let me do this?"

"Calm down," Amelia told her, pulling her out of the room.

Rory bit her lip as she took in Jimmy's surprised face. Jess had indeed inherited his father's basic facial structure. Years in the sun weathered and colored his face. Gray peppered his dark hair. His eyes, though they were blue, seemed very much like Jess'. They contained years of secrets and hurts shrouded in a cool and hollow exterior.

"Hi," he said hesitantly.

"Hey," Amelia replied in a friendly tone. Rory said nothing.

"You're back early," Sasha said to Jimmy, giving him a quick kiss. She turned her attention to the girls and said, "I called a friend that used to work at Lockheed-Martin, and she was actually at the unemployment office, so she's going to be here in a couple of hours with people from _all_ walks of life from the area. You can get us some food from the stand, right, Jimmy?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied without taking his eyes off of Rory.

Rory kept her arms folded tightly across her chest and her eyes planted firmly on the floor. Amelia bit her lip and mumbled a 'thank you' to Sasha without meeting her eyes. Sasha looked at each of them curiously.

"Okay, is it just me, or is there a weird vibe going on in here?"

"It's not just you," Amelia assured her. "Come on, I'll explain everything. This is your dog-and-pony show, Georgie-girl. You can explain it to him."

As Amelia lead Sasha away, Rory finally met Jimmy's eyes. "I, um, my name is Rory Gilmore."

"Huh," Jimmy answered, nodding slightly.

Rory blinked away an image of Jess doing exactly the same thing.

"I've seen a picture of you before," Jimmy told her. "Jess, my son, he had it in a copy of _The Fountainhead_. Why he even had that book, I'll never know. Your hair's different. And you lost some of that angelic thing you had going on. Your eyes look like someone's held you down and told you terrible things about the world."

"Well, I did just come from Detroit," Rory joked weakly.

"That would suck the innocence out of anyone," Jimmy muttered, walking past her and into his room. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over a chair. He turned around, his arms folded across his chest defensively. "So, what are you doing here?"

"We were in the area doing a series on the economy," Rory explained. "I sort of decided to look you up last night."

"Why?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Excuse me?"

"Why would you tell your son that he's a fuck-up?"

Jimmy looked down at the worn carpet. "Not exactly my finest moment. I was kind of having a bad day. Kind of been having a bad year."

"I still haven't heard an explanation," she told him sternly, attempting to imitate her grandmother.

"Why the hell would I tell you anything?" Jimmy asked her angrily. "You couldn't possibly understand. You've probably never worked hard a day in your life. Hardship probably isn't even in your vocabulary."

"You know, you're right," Rory admitted reluctantly, tears forming in her eyes. "My grandparents are wealthy, and that's been a major benefit to me my whole life. That doesn't mean I don't know what hardship is. I went through a time when I gave up on my dreams because the road I was on got tough, and…someone came along and reminded me who I was, and that I wasn't the girl who gave up at the first sign of trouble. That someone was _your_ son, and he did it knowing he wasn't going to get anything in return. A fuck-up doesn't do that. It didn't take him thirty years and abandoning his child to get his life together. You should be proud of him. You shouldn't be travelling across the country to bust his balls."

Jimmy let the silence hang heavy in the air. Finally, he looked up and said, "I didn't go to Philly to bust Jess' balls. I went to help a friend open his restaurant. Before I left, I found his book at a store on the boardwalk. The owner told me he'd met Jess. He'd been in town, he wrote a fucking book, and he didn't say word one to me. And then Sasha and I got into a huge thing before I left. Money was tight and she didn't want me to go. I left angry. I wasn't planning on seeing him, but Sasha called me while I was in Philly and told me that-that she found a lump on her breast. It just-it hit me hard. I mean, we bought this house a couple of years ago and got a fixed-rate mortgage. Unfortunately, that's when rates were high, and now income is down because there just aren't that many tourists on the boardwalk, and Jess was there, and I was angry at him, and-and…I was always a terrible father."

"I'm sorry about Sasha," Rory said quietly.

"Actually, it was just a cystic whatever thing," Jimmy stammered. "I just freaked out because she's been sick before."

"Jess didn't deserve that."

"I know."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because I kept a picture of Jess in a copy of _The Sun Also Rises_," she answered. "Because I love him, and because…my father wasn't always the greatest, but I'm glad I know him. Jess deserves to have a family, even a screwed-up and dysfunctional one."

"Wow," Jimmy said simply. "I understand why he was pining for you now."

Rory's cheeks reddened and she bit her lip sheepishly. Sasha appeared in the doorway behind Rory with her fists on her hips.

"Jimmy. You and me. We gotta talk."

Amelia reached into the room, and pulled Rory out. She shut the door and rushed her friend back into the kitchen.

"We should probably go to the beach," Amelia said, handing Rory her purse. "They're about to have a major throw-down."

Rory pocketed her cell phone and wallet and followed Amelia out of the house into the backyard. They followed the sidewalk until it changed from concrete to wood. Amelia stopped and leaned on the railing to look out at the ocean.

"Is there any felicity in the world superior to this?" she asked as the ocean breeze blew back her hair.

"What's that from?"

"_Sense and Sensibility_. The movie. I don't know about the book."

"It is really beautiful," Rory agreed, resting on the rail next to her friend.

"I like looking at the Pacific, but swimming in the Atlantic. It's warmer, unless you're in, you know, Nova Scotia."

"Why do you think he came here?" Rory asked suddenly, still staring out at the Pacific.

Amelia smiled. "Probably for a lot of the same reasons I trekked out here. If America was Europe's New World, California is America's New World. This is where we go when we screw up. Dreams rise and fall in this state. It's the end of the road. You keep going, and you'll get eaten by sharks before you get to Hawaii."

"Pleasant image," Rory said sarcastically as they continued down the boardwalk.

"Yeah, well, it's true," Amelia laughed. "You know, Jess was probably disappointed to find that people are just as nuts out here as they are in Stars Hollow."

"Maybe that's why he came back."

"No, Georgie-girl, that's not why he came back," Amelia assured her.

Rory smiled weakly as her phone started to ring. "It's Jess," she said, looking at the screen.

"Okay, I'm gonna go…down there. Scream if somebody tries to mug you."

Rory shook her head as she answered her phone. "Hey."

"Hey, I haven't talked to you today. Missed you."

"I've been busy. What time is it there?"

"About five. Are you outside? It sounds like a carnival out there."

"Yeah, I'm at the boardwalk."

"Really? Which one?"

"Um, Santa Monica, or Venice, or that general area," she answered uneasily.

"There are some really good bookstores around there," he told her, still sounding happy. "I even got one to carry _The Subsect_."

Rory rubbed her forehead and said, "Jess, I need to tell you something."

"Okay," he answered cautiously.

"Well," she began, "we got to Venice last night and I remembered Jimmy lived here, and we looked him up and I just-I wanted to know why he said those things to you, and we went to his house, and Amelia apparently knows Sasha—who is helping us with the story, by they way—and Jimmy showed up and I gave him a piece of my mind, and he gave me an excuse for what he did, even though there's really no excuse, but I-I…Jess, say something."

She heard him take a couple of breaths before he said, "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I wanted to know why he hurt you."

"Rory, this was _my _problem with _my _family."

"I know. I was just trying to help."

"I didn't ask for your help," he practically growled.

"I know, but—"

"No buts, Rory! This was _none_ of your business. You had no right to interfere!"

"Jess!"

"I can't talk to you right now."

The call ended abruptly as Rory's throat choked with a sob.

* * *

"I cannot believe you didn't tell me about this, Jimmy."

"Oh, yeah. Like I could just say, 'By the way, while I was in Philly I got into it with my kid and he popped me one in the mouth.'"

"Yeah, you could have said that! I'd he a helluva lot less mad right now if you had!" Sasha retorted. "What did you say to him?"

"I don't really remember. I was pissed and I'd had a couple of beers."

"Aw, Jimmy. Jess didn't deserve that."

"Will you give it a break, already?" he replied, throwing his hands in the air. "His girlfriend told me that."

"So that Rory girl is his girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"She the one he had the picture of?"

"Uh-huh."

"So, Jess finally gets the girl and then you appear and screw everything up."

"Sash, please."

"No! You have a bad day, you do _not_ take it out on your kids. It doesn't matter if they're six or sixty," she told him. "And don't give me any of that 'I'm not cut out to be a father' bullshit. You're the only father Lily's ever had, and I'm grateful you've been there for her. You can't go back in time a fix all the times you screwed up with Jess, but you _can_ make things better in the future. So, pick up that goddamned phone and tell him you're proud of him."

"What makes you think I'm proud of him?"

"You read the book," she said, picking up the object in question from the desk. "The spine is creased. You must have liked it. And tell that boy that if he ever comes back to Venice, and doesn't come to see _me_, that I _will_ be kicking his ass."

She shoved the cordless phone into his hands and left him alone in the room with his books, records, and thoughts.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, rushing to his fiancée's side when she came into the diner with eyes red from crying.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said, sitting down at the nearest table. "I just got off the phone with Rory. She was crying, and I'm pregnant and I cried right along with her. Of course, I would probably cry at _Singin' In The Rain_ right now."

Luke sat down with her since the diner was mostly deserted. "Why was Rory crying?"

"She and Jess had a fight."

"Over what?"

"Rory went to see Jess' dad."

"What? Why?"

"She was just trying to help."

"I can tell you Jess didn't like that," Luke said, shaking his head. "He still has a pretty sizeable independent streak."

"I know, and I told Rory I could kind of understand his perspective. You know, I never liked it when she would go over my head and talk to my parents without my permission," Lorelai explained. "But Jess overreacted. We all know Rory only had the best of intentions."

"Should I give the stupid kid a call?" Luke asked.

"Nope. We're Scandinavia, remember?"

"I hate being Scandinavian," Luke muttered.

"I know," she consoled. "Do you think you could get over it enough to bring me my dinner now?"

Luke shook his head and kissed the side of her face. "Coming right up."

* * *

"Oh, hey, he just walked in," Kat said as Jess huffed back into the apartment. "Jess, the phone's for you."

"Tell Rory I don't want to talk to her."

"Okay, I'll interrogate you as to why you don't want to talk to your amazing girlfriend later, but it's not Rory. It's some guy named Jimmy."

"Tell him I'm not here."

"I just told him you walked in."

"Tell him it was a case of mistaken identity."

"Right, because there are _so_ many people in the world that look like you."

"Kat."

"Jess, I don't have to answer the phone, but I did, so you are taking the receiver and talking to this guy. Matt, we're late!" she yelled, shoving the phone in his hands and stomping toward the back of the apartment.

Jess rolled his eyes as he held the phone up to his ear and said, "What?"

"I think I've figured out my problem with you," Jimmy said after a few deep breaths.

That wasn't what Jess expected. "What?" he asked, a little less sternly.

"I'm jealous of you."

"Of me?"

"Yeah. You got you're life working right before you were thirty. Hell, you're not even twenty-five yet."

"Well, it's nice to know you remember how old I am."

"March 27th."

"Excuse me?"

"That's your birthday. 3:09 in the morning. I'd made one of the worst decisions of my life by 3:15."

Jess shook his head and blinked his tears away angrily. "You expect me to forgive you just because you remembered my birthday?"

"I don't expect anything from you, Jess. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, and I'm proud of you for getting your life straight before I did."

"You don't have to say this crap just because Rory told you to," Jess replied venomously.

"Ah, Jess, don't go blaming your girlfriend for coming over here and busting my balls on your behalf," Jimmy told him. "She's your girlfriend. It's in her job description."

"It's not—"

"Listen, kid, I may not be smarter than you, but I sure as hell have been around the block more times than you. Women can be a complete pain in the ass, but it's always worth it."

"What happened to they 'fuck with you, fuck you, then tell you to fuck-off?'"

"I was having a bad day."

"Like father, like son," Jess muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, by the way, Sasha says if you come to Venice again and you don't come see her, she's gonna kick your ass," Jimmy informed him. "Apparently, she's okay with you ignoring me, but ignoring _her_ is a cardinal sin."

Jess smirked and nodded. "I understand. I would have come, but I…"

"Was it so horrible with us?"

"No, it was fine. I just…I don't like to remember why I was there, or who I was back then."

"I think I get you. I am so sorry for everything."

"You should be," Jess told him, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I'm gonna go now, kid."

"Bye, Jimmy."

"Bye."

Jess looked to see Kat leading Matt toward the door. "Call your girlfriend," she told him before they disappeared, Matt still looking confused.

* * *

"You know, I think we have enough footage to finish the series."

"Yeah, I agree."

"Are you okay? I mean, you're not outwardly crying anymore, but I get the feeling you're still crying on the inside."

"I'll be fine. It was just our first fight…this time around, anyway."

"You guys will be fine, though, right?"

"I…think so."

"Have you checked your phone? Maybe he called."

Rory pulled her phone out of her purse and smiled. "I have forty-three missed calls."

"Aww…somebody out there really likes you. What are you doing?" Amelia asked as Rory dropped her phone back into her purse.

"I think I'm going to let him sweat it out a little," Rory replied, smirking.

"Right, because that's the mature, adult thing to do."

* * *

Sunday evening found Jess in front of the TV, though he couldn't tell anyone what he was watching if they asked. The phone rang and he lunged for it even though there wasn't anyone else in the apartment to compete.

"Hello!"

"Hi, Jess!"

Though it wasn't who he really wanted to talk to, he couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Doula. When did you learn how to use the phone by yourself?"

"She didn't," Liz' voice answered."

"Well, then I won't tell her not to dial any 900 numbers."

"Jess!"

"She's three. She doesn't know what I'm talking about."

"What are 900 numbers?"

"See what you started?"

"Sorry," he told his mother insincerely.

"Well, she wouldn't go to bed until she talked to you," Liz explained. "She has something very important to share with you."

"And what's that?"

"New favorite word."

"You found a better word than vernacular?"

"Uh-huh. Verbal."

"Really? You think verbal is better than vernacular?"

"Yeah. It sounds like gerbil, but it isn't. What's it mean?"

"It means you can talk."

"_I_ can talk."

"So you're verbal."

"Goody!"

"Okay, kids. It's time for some of us to go to bed," Liz interrupted.

"Fine. Goodnight, Jess."

"Sweet dreams, Doula."

"Alright, kiddo, we'll see you next weekend at the wedding."

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

"Love you, Jess."

He blinked at the sudden sentiment and said, "Goodnight, Liz," before hanging up the phone.

He tossed the phone away and turned off the TV. He wasn't paying attention to it anyway. The apartment was empty. Chris was visiting his grandmother in Cherry Hill. Matt and Kat were at an engagement party her sister was throwing. Mike was…wherever Mike was. He considered calling Rory again, but he knew he couldn't leave a message. He'd already filled her voicemail, and she hadn't returned his calls.

A part of him knew he had it coming. He overreacted, and it hadn't even really been because of what Rory did. He just hated the idea that Rory had any contact with his life in California. What he did back then: it was cowardly. It was what Jimmy would have done. Jimmy wasn't Hitler, or anything, but Jess knew he didn't want to wind up like him. So he went back, and the moment he looked at Rory Gilmore for more than the briefest second, he knew there was an even bigger reason he returned to the East Coast. He loved her. He was an idiot who didn't know how to handle it at the time, and apparently he still didn't.

He cleaned up the kitchen and went to bed even though it was only 9:30. A couple of hours later, he felt soft lips on his neck and jaw just beneath his ear and fingernails scratching lightly across his torso. He rolled over to see Rory smiling down at him.

"So, you're speaking to me now?"

"You're the one who said you didn't want to talk to me," she reminded him, resting on his chest.

"I also left you more messages than I care to remember."

"I know, and you sounded so pitiful, I told Amelia we had to drive to Philadelphia as soon as possible."

"I don't want you here because you pity me," he told her.

"That's not why I'm here," she assured him as she moved to kiss him on the mouth. "I'm here because your pseudo-step-mother helped us finish ahead of schedule, and I love you, and I'm sorry, and you should know that you're forgiven."

He smirked and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You will pay. I hope you know that, Gilmore."

She smiled, kissed him, and said, "Oh, I look forward to working off my debt any way you see fit."


	14. Chapter 14: You'd Melt in the Rain

"I cannot believe you!"

"Mom."

"You get extra time off from work and you go see that icky boy instead of coming to see _me_: the woman who gave you life?"

"Stop being so dramatic."

"I'm pregnant. I'm allowed to be dramatic."

"Oh, God, you're going to be using that excuse for the next nine months, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! What did you expect?"

"I suppose I should have expected crazy on top of crazy from pregnant Lorelai Gilmore."

"Hey!"

"Speaking of crazy, have you told the grandparents yet?"

"Ha! You're funny, child of mine."

"Mom, why haven't you told them?"

"I'm pregnant…out of wedlock…_again_."

"You're getting married in thirteen days to the father of your child. I think they'll get over it. They eventually got over it the first time."

"That's because you turned out to be Mary Poppins."

"Huh?"

"You're practically perfect in every way," Lorelai explained. "This kid has an obvious disadvantage. It'll be related to Luke _and_ Jess: two of my mother's least favorite people."

"Maybe, but Grandpa really likes Jess. He even sent Jess an email so they could finish the conversation they started at that last Friday night dinner."

"Friday night dinner! It's perfect!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You can come for dinner this Friday and help me tell them. I know you were planning on seeing Jess, but you're seeing him now, so you can come support your mommy this weekend instead."

"Actually, I'm not seeing that much of him right now."

"You mean he's actually working?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

"Yes, and no. You see, this building has one of those old, cast-iron furnace boiler thingies and it stopped working. Jess and I woke up at four this morning because we were about to freeze to death."

"You were naked, weren't you?"

"Mom!"

"You totally were!"

"Well, I'm not now," Rory told her, exasperated. "I'm wearing several layers, I'm under half a dozen blankets, _and_ I'm drinking hot chocolate. I'm even wearing a hat."

"Well, where's your reformed hoodlum? Shouldn't _he_ be keeping you warm?"

"Who do you think made the hot chocolate? And he's in the basement with the rest of the guys and the Fletchers trying to fix the stupid thing."

"Aw, that sucks, sweetie. Can you see your breath?"

"Not yet, but it's only noon and I think we're getting close to that."

The door to the bedroom opened and closed and Jess came in wearing his heavy, wool coat and shivering uncontrollably. His face was dirty and scowling.

"We're leaving," he told her shortly before grabbing his laptop from the desk and shoving it into a messenger bag.

"Where are we going?" she asked, setting her hot chocolate aside.

"Stars Hollow! Stars Hollow!" Lorelai chanted.

"You wanna go home?" Jess asked, pulling his duffel out from under the bed.

Rory blinked and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Wow. The universe might be about to implode. You and my mom just agreed on something other than extreme methods of getting rid of the smell of Indian food."

"Was that a yes or a no?"

"Say yes! Say yes!" Lorelai cheered giddily.

"Okay, okay. I'll see you in a few hours, Mom."

"Goody!"

Rory rolled her eyes as she hung up the phone and pushed the pounds of blankets off her lap. "Don't you guys have an art show this week?" she asked, gathering her stuff from around the room.

"Yeah, we were going to celebrate Obama's inauguration with work from local artists, but no one's going to show up if it's colder in here than it is outside," Jess said, shoving clothes into his bag.

"Old man Fletcher couldn't fix the furnace?"

"Nope."

"Then what are you guys going to do?"

"Matt's staying with Kat here in Philly. Chris is going back to Jersey. Mike will find someplace to crash. We've all got laptops and we'll get the zine out on time…hopefully. I'll just have to send Matt a reminder to pay the printers."

"What about the Fletchers? There's like twelve of them," Rory asked, pulling on her boots.

"They have a place out around Amish country," Jess explained, catching the book Rory tossed to him. "They just live in the city so they can take in foster kids. Matt is in charge of making sure the place doesn't burn down and the pipes don't burst."

Rory handed him his toothbrush before zipping up her own suitcase. Jess hefted his bag onto his shoulders and said, "Let's get the hell out of here before we die of pneumonia."

* * *

"I'm so glad the heater actually works on this car."

"I'm so glad this car works at all. Surprised is actually the better term."

"Well, it shocks me sometimes, too," Jess admitted, unbuttoning his coat. "Help me out of this thing."

Rory pulled on one sleeve while Jess steered with his free hand. She laughed when she saw what he was wearing underneath.

"What?" he asked, shoving the coat into the backseat.

"I don't know what's funnier; the fact that you were wearing two coats or that you chose to wear _that_ specific coat."

"This isn't a coat. It's a jacket. And you were in the building; it was cold."

"But still, I didn't even think you still owned this thing," she said, reaching across and pulling apart the snaps on his leather jacket.

"Rory, what-what are you doing?" he asked as she pulled the zipper down.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she whispered seductively.

"Uh, I'm driving," he reminded her.

"You can pull over," she replied as she undid the buckle at the waist of his jacket.

"Jesus Christ!" he cried as all the blood rushed from his head and he brought the car to a screeching halt on the side of the road. "If we get arrested, it is _all_ your fault."

* * *

"Mom! We're here!"

"Jess!"

"Hey," he said, grinning before picking up his sister that seemingly emerged from nowhere. "What are you doing here?"

"Liz and TJ had a thing at a place in Hartford and asked if I could babysit," Lorelai explained, walking in from the living room. "We were just watching _The Breakfast Club_."

"Are you trying to corrupt my little sister?"

"She hangs around with you, doesn't she? How much more damage could I do?"

"You wound me, Lorelai."

"Deal with it, punk."

"Come watch with me. Pretty please?" Doula asked, bouncing in her brother's arms.

"Fine," he relented before glancing at Rory, who had an unidentifiable expression on her face. "What are you looking at?"

"You," she answered, smiling. "I like looking at you."

"Well, I like looking at you, too," he replied, kissing her lightly.

"Yuck," Doula said, making a face.

"You just wait, Doula," Rory told her, "one day, you'll actually _like_ kissing boys."

"Uh, no, she won't," Jess told them sternly before carrying his sister back into the living room.

If it was possible, Rory's smile got wider as she watched them go. She shrugged off her coat and hung it up on the pegs by the door and followed her mother into the kitchen.

"So…what took you guys so long?" Lorelai asked as she started making a fresh pot of coffee.

"Traffic."

"Use air quotes, sweetie. Mommy's not stupid."

Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head. Lorelai smiled at her knowingly.

"You've never seen them together before, have you?" Lorelai asked, motioning toward the living room.

"No," Rory answered, still smiling. "I've heard him talk about her, and he obviously adores her, but actually seeing him…it's kind of amazing."

"Yeah, I know," Lorelai said, taking two cups out of the cupboard.

"It just makes him seem more like…" Rory stopped herself before she finished the sentence.

"Like what?"

"Well…"

"Hon, if you don't finish the sentence, I'll do it for you, and I'll do it loudly," Lorelai threatened.

"Fine," Rory relented, her voice barely above a whisper. "It just makes him seem even more like the kind of person I could spend my life with. There, I said it. Are you happy?"

Lorelai's grin grew devious. "This baby is giving me so many new powers…like psychic abilities," she said, patting her stomach. "How come you weren't so useful?"

"Way to guilt-trip, Mom."

"I learned from the best."

"Is that real coffee? It smells like real coffee."

"Of course it's real."

"Luke is letting you drink real coffee?" Rory asked incredulously.

"No, but Luke's not here, is he?"

"Deceitful woman."

"Hey," Jess said quietly from behind them, Doula's head resting on his shoulder. "Narcoleptic Nancy here just randomly fell asleep mid-sentence."

"They do that sometimes," Lorelai told him, gently taking the sleeping toddler from his arms. "I've got Rory's room set up so she won't break anything important if she rolls off the bed."

Jess shook his head as Lorelai carried his sister into Rory's bedroom. His forehead furrowed in confusion when he saw Rory smiling at him.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" she asked innocently.

"Like you've never seen me before," he answered, walking over to stand in front of her.

"Oh, I just keep finding new reasons to love you," she excused, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Okay, whatever," Jess replied before pushing her against the counter and pressing his lips to hers. "I should go. I have to get some work done. Besides, with me gone, you and your mom can talk about me without worrying about me hearing you."

"We weren't talking about you," she lied.

"Yeah, right," he said, kissing her quickly. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

"Be back later."

"You better."

"Hey...where did the Italian stallion go?" Lorelai asked a few moments after Jess was gone.

"Italian stallion? Really, Mom?"

"He lives in Philly. It totally makes sense."

"He's not _from_ Philly."

"No, but he does have that stallion thing going on."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you two a second ago. Good thing there was a three-year-old in the next room, or you two might have broken my coffee maker."

"Mom."

"Here, come with me," Lorelai said, pouring them two cups of coffee and walking into the living room.

They sat down on the couch and tucked their feet beneath them. Lorelai smiled over her cup at her silent daughter.

"Okay, so...before I offer my opinion on the whole spending your life with Jess issue, there's something I have to ask you that I keep forgetting to ask you about."

"What?"

"That last Friday night dinner, you said Jess was the reason you went back to Yale," Lorelai reminded her. "At the time I was too busy enjoying the show, and we kept getting distracted by car accidents and jobs that sent you across the country, but what _were_ you talking about?"

Rory took a deep breath. "I should've told you."

"Should've, could've, would've."

"He showed up at Grandma's a couple of weeks after my twenty-first birthday," she began. "He gave me a copy of his book and he wanted to catch up, and we were going to get dinner and Logan showed up, and he was a total ass to Jess, and Jess just got up and walked out of the restaurant, and I followed him and-and he yelled at me."

"He yelled at you?" Lorelai asked, her brow furrowing in anger.

"Yeah, he yelled at me for not speaking to you and living with Grandma, and for dating Logan because he was being an ass and we used to mock guys like that, and he yelled at me for dropping out of Yale." The tears started rolling down Rory's cheeks. "If walking away from Logan when he would have been totally justified in decking him wasn't a dead giveaway, the fact that the guy who asked me to run away with him was telling me I shouldn't have dropped out of Yale should have told me he'd changed and that he was a better person than the one that ran out on me three years earlier. He told me the truth when no one else would, and he did it knowing he was getting absolutely nothing in return. It didn't feel like it at the time, but he was being my knight in shining armor, and I blew him off because I thought I wanted a prince. Mom, you're crying."

Lorelai wiped away the tears in her eyes and said, "I just…wow. I never thought Jess Mariano would ever be responsible for helping to fix anything, especially something he didn't even break."

More tears started rolling down Rory's cheeks and she started to choke up. Lorelai moved to wrap her arms around her daughter's shoulders and said, "What's wrong, hon?"

"I broke him, Mom. I really broke him. More than he or Logan or anybody ever did to me."

"Okay, you've lost me."

"I went to Philadelphia when Logan and I were having problems after he cheated on me. Truncheon was having an open house, Jess sent me an invitation, and I went…alone."

"To Philadelphia?"

"Yes, to Philadelphia."

"And?"

"We kissed, and I told him I loved Logan because, at the time, I did. He even gave me permission to tell Logan we did something."

"Wow," Lorelai said quietly. "That sort of explains what happened in Chicago."

"Yeah, it does," Rory agreed. "Mom, he changed. He became a better man and all he wanted was me and I tried to use him to get back at my cheating boyfriend. He was going to go to college and he wound up not going because he knew that couldn't win me back. I mean, that's some serious, major league, Fitzgeraldean pining. And after all of that, he-he does this thing right before…well, you know."

"I do," Lorelai confirmed, lightening her tone. "I hope it involves a condom."

"Mom!"

"Sshhh. You'll wake up Doula."

"I was being serious, Mom," Rory reiterated. "He does this thing and he tucks my hair behind my ear, and he just…looks at me like no one has ever looked at me. It's so hard to explain. It's like he's telling me he loves me in a single moment. And everyday I find out how amazing he is now and how different, but still the same, and I want him in my life. You probably think I'm too young, or that it's too quick, or maybe you just still hate Jess—"

"Oh, honey, I don't hate Jess," Lorelai assured her. "At this moment, I _really_ don't hate Jess. And…it's your life, and I know for a fact you could be making a huge mistake if you spent it with, you know, someone else."

"But you're still crying."

"I'm still pregnant."

"Poor baby. You get blamed for everything," Rory said, patting her mother's stomach.

Lorelai smiled deviously. "I can't wait until I go into labor."

"What happened to doing the splits on a crate of dynamite?" Rory asked incredulously.

"Well, yes, there will be that, but this time Luke will be there and I will get to blame him for _everything_," Lorelai replied happily.

Rory laughed and said, "Luke was always your knight in shining armor."

"Yep, and your dad was my prince charming. I personally think I've _finally_ made the right choice," Lorelai told her. "And, Rory…so have you."

Rory wrapped her arms around her mother's waist and rested her head on Lorelai's shoulder. "Thanks, Mom," she whispered, smiling.

* * *

"Jess. Jess. Jess!"

"What?" he asked groggily, lifting his head too suddenly from the table. His neck popped and he groaned. "God, that hurt."

"You've been asleep on a kitchen table for two hours. Of course it hurts. When did you get up this morning?" Luke asked, sitting down next to him.

"Four."

"What time did you get to sleep? Uh, never mind, I don't want to know," Luke said quickly. "You could have called me, you know."

"Luke, as much respect as I have for your handyman skills, our building is a hundred fifty years old and the furnace has been there for eighty of them," Jess explained. "The seventy-five-year-old journeyman plumber that lives upstairs couldn't fix it. I highly doubt you could."

"Well, who were you yelling at about it today? I could hear you all the way down in the diner."

"Matt," he answered. "He's going to let guys Mike knows to fix the furnace, and, you met Mike, would you trust _anyone_ he knows with something that could burn down your home and place of business?"

"I let you live with me for two years."

"You're a riot, Uncle Luke."

"So how long you gonna be here?"

"I don't know yet. You trying to get rid of me?"

"I would, but you keep showing back up. Like a fungus."

"Thanks for that."

"You know you can stay as long as you need to, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Jess replied, nodding.

"Hey guys."

They looked up to see Lorelai coming in through the half-opened door. She had on her coat and gloves and a mischievous grin. Luke immediately got up and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hey, what are you doing here? You didn't walk, did you?"

"I don't want to be personally responsible for punching a hole in the ozone. Of course I walked."

"Lorelai," he said warningly.

"Luke," she replied in a mockingly similar tone.

"You shouldn't be exerting yourself, and it's dark outside. What if something happened?"

"We live in Stars Hollow. What could have possibly happened?"

"Lorelai, you're pregnant!"

"Duh!"

"What are you looking at?" Luke asked, shooting his nephew an angry glance.

"It's Monday and there's nothing good on TV until nine, so I'm just enjoying the show," Jess answered, smirking.

"Wiseass," Luke muttered.

"Do you think you could stop being ridiculously overprotective long enough to go downstairs and help Cesar? He's swamped."

"Fine. I'll be home after I get rid of Kirk."

"I'll see you then, baby," Lorelai said before kissing him sweetly. When he was gone, she tossed Jess his coat and said, "Come on. I need a mule."

"Huh?"

"We ordered from Al's. I need a pack mule."

"Luke's not gonna like you having Chinese," Jess told her, pulling on his coat.

"That's why I'm also going to use your expert knowledge in sneaking out of this place."

"Fine. Whatever you say," Jess relented.

"One more thing."

Jess didn't even have time to ask Lorelai what she meant before she enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Ugh, Lorelai. I can't breathe," he gasped.

"Sorry," she said, finally letting go and smiling up at him.

"What was that all about?"

"You don't even know. That's what makes it more precious."

"Crazy Gilmore women," Jess muttered as he followed Lorelai out the door.

* * *

"Hey, I brought you food and a boyfriend!"

"Oh, goody! Food!"

"Nice to know I'm so appreciated," Jess said, setting two large sacks on the kitchen table.

"I'd love to show you how much I appreciate you, but my mom is standing right over there," Rory replied, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Wow, you two are disgusting," Lorelai told them as she took the plates down from the cabinets. "_I_ have never been that disgusting."

"Never say never, Mom."

"Stop making sense," Lorelai ordered. "Dish up the food. I'm going to start the movie."

When Lorelai was in the other room, Jess kissed Rory quickly before they started unpacking the boxes from Al's.

"So what are we watching?"

"John Hughes movie marathon."

"Ugh. Really?"

"Don't worry. We're starting with _Ferris Beuller's Day Off_, and Mom's pregnant, so chances are she'll fall asleep before we get halfway through _Sixteen Candles_," Rory explained, piling food from each container onto two plates.

"Thank God. Got another question for you. Why did your mother try to hug the life out of me when she came to the diner?"

"I don't know. She's pregnant. Women do funny things when they're pregnant."

"Rory, come on," he said, lightly grabbing her arm and making her face him. "I know Lorelai likes me better now than she ever did before, but she had to have some reason."

Rory sighed and said, "I finally told her what you did for me when you came to Hartford that time."

"I didn't _do_ anything, Rory. You did."

"I wouldn't have done it without you."

"Yeah, you would have. Eventually."

"But if I waited, I might have not gotten back into Yale, and I might have done something _really_ stupid like marry Logan before I was even twenty-two."

She saw Jess visibly shudder at the idea of her marrying Logan. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his jaw just beneath the ear. "I wish you never left me," she whispered, "but you were there for me when I really needed you. Mom's grateful, and so am I."

Jess just held her close and buried his face in her hair.

"Pregnant woman in need of sustenance!" Lorelai shouted from the other room.

"Oh, that excuse is going to get old," Rory said, reluctantly wriggling out of Jess' grasp and picking up the two plates she'd prepared.

Jess just smiled as he followed her into the living room.

* * *

Jess was the only one awake by the time Sam Baker and Jake Ryan kissed over a birthday cake with sixteen candles. Lorelai was curled up on one end of the couch, her head resting on the arm. Rory's body was snuggled into his, and she was snoring lightly as her head lay on his chest. Lorelai stirred and blinked as she sat up.

"Must've fallen asleep. You're probably bored to tears."

"Yep," he admitted.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight, you two."

She kissed her daughter on the head. Rory muttered incoherently in return. Jess disentangled himself and turned off the TV. Rory immediately curled up in a ball in his absence. Grinning to himself, he slid one arm beneath her legs, the other around her waist, and lifted her off the couch.

"Woah," she said sleepily, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I didn't know you could do this."

"I'm full of surprises," he said, carrying her back to her room.

"Yes, you are," she confirmed, kissing him on the cheek.

He laid her down on the bed, kissing her forehead. He started to stand up and leave when she grabbed his collar and pulled him down on top of her.

"Just where do you think you're going, hmm?"

"The diner," he answered, supporting himself on his arms. "Your mom is just upstairs."

"Yes, she is. _All_ the way upstairs," Rory reminded him, pulling him down to kiss him. Jess let his arms relax and collapsed onto the bed, flipping them around so she was on top.

When they broke apart for air, she smiled and said, "I want to give you something."

"Not sure I want it if you have to get out of bed to give it to me."

"Perv," Rory said as she opened the doors to her wardrobe.

"Hey, I'm a twenty-four-year-old heterosexual male. I'm pretty sure the gutter is where my mind is supposed to be."

"Well then, you're just a jerk," Rory replied as she dug through a box at the bottom of her wardrobe.

"Anyone in town will agree with that assessment," he grumbled.

"That's just because they don't know how sweet you really are."

"I am not sweet."

"Yes, you are," she assured him as she lay back down on the bed and placed something in his hand.

Jess' brow furrowed in surprise and confusion as he looked at the object in his hand. It was just a simple, beaten, metal disc on a thin, leather strap. He recognized it. It had once been in his possession for two weeks.

"What-why are you giving this to me?"

"Because you gave it back to me when you didn't have to," she told him. "Chris texted me today. He said he put a short-story of yours up on Truncheon's website that I might want to read."

"He must have been bored. Which short story was it?"

"'A-tisket, A-tasket,'" Rory answered, grinning. "I liked the names you gave everyone. Dorianna was very funny for Mom and Holden was extremely appropriate for you. Lori wasn't very creative for me. I don't understand how Dean became Herman, though."

"Herman Munster," Jess explained, squirming uncomfortably. "Remind me to kill Chris the next time I see him."

"No, don't kill him. It just gave me another example of how amazingly sweet you are."

"Stop saying I'm sweet."

"But you are. You'd melt if you went out in the rain."

"Stop it, Rory," he warned, pinning her arms to the bed and positioning himself on top of her.

"You are an absolute sweetheart, Jess Mariano, and I don't care who knows it."

"Oh, you're asking for it, Gilmore."

* * *

"Rory and Jess are having sex," Luke announced in a strained tone, slamming the door a little harder than necessary.

"Wha—?" Lorelai asked her fiancé, only half awake.

"Rory and Jess. They're having sex," Luke repeated as he sat down on his side of the bed and angrily untied his shoes.

"I could swear we already had this conversation," Lorelai said, sitting up on her elbows."

"I don't mean in general. I mean right now," Luke explained, tossing his shoes across the room. "They're making _noises_ and everything."

Lorelai snorted and said, "You're not exactly his Man Friday."

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you," Luke told her. "You're one of the loudest people on the earth no matter what you're doing."

"And proud of it," she replied, her chin stuck in the air mockingly.

"You're absolutely insane. All of you…totally nuts," Luke muttered.

"Come on," Lorelai said, sidling up to him and tossing his hat across the room. "Let's make some noises of our own."

* * *

A/N: So...I was looking at several different fics from different authors and I found that there's a consensus that Rory must have never told her mother exactly what sent her back to Yale and her home in Stars Hollow, so I decided to fit that conversation into this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, and reviews are free Christmas gifts.


	15. Chapter 15: Compared to You

"Morning, sunshine," Lorelai said, more loudly than necessary.

"Ssshhh. You'll wake up Jess," Rory told her as she poured a cup of coffee.

"Oh, my God," Lorelai said, barely able to contain her laughter.

"What?"

"Come here," Lorelai replied, pushing her daughter toward the mirror in the hall.

"Mom, what are you—Oh my God!"

Lorelai sniggered and said, "You know only trashy girls get hickeys."

"Well, Jess has some pretty deep scratches on his back and arms."

"Ew! I didn't need to hear that!"

"You're the one that just called me trashy!"

"That doesn't mean I wanted details!"

"Be quiet!" a male voice bellowed.

"_Somebody's_ not a morning person," Lorelai said, jerking her head back toward Rory's bedroom.

"Actually, he is…it just has to be on his terms meaning no nosy townsfolk, no phone calls from perky friends, no forty-degree temperatures inside, and no noisy mothers," Rory explained, pointing a finger at her mother for the last part of her speech.

"Alright, well, I'm going to the diner," Lorelai told her. "Bring me some of Luke's real coffee to the inn, will ya?"

"So now I'm useful, am I? The baby can't bring you coffee now, can he?" Rory asked.

"Listen here, my pretty—"

"Oh, dear, you've sunk to _Wizard of Oz_ references. I will bring you coffee if I can convince Luke to let me have it, which is not as easy as it sounds. Believe me, I've tried before."

"That, my lovely daughter, is all I ask. Make sure you say goodbye before Jess takes you to the train station this afternoon."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Rory went back into kitchen and poured Jess a cup of coffee. She tucked the paper under her arm and nudged the door open. Jess was only covered from the waist down, and his arm was slung across her side of the bed. His eyes were closed, but she could tell he wasn't really asleep. He moved his arm as soon as she sat down on the bed, and draped it back over her legs when she stretched them out in front of her. He kissed the patch of stomach her tank top exposed.

"I brought you coffee," she whispered into his ear, lightly running her fingers through his hair.

"That's your vice, not mine," he muttered in return.

"Well, it's as close to breakfast in bed as you're ever gonna get, mister. So, you might as well enjoy it," she told him, handing him his cup.

He fully opened his eyes and sat up, smirking when he saw the mark he'd left on her clavicle. "I'd say I was sorry about that, but I'm not."

"Pig," she muttered before handing him his cup. "I also brought the paper."

"Aren't we a regular Donna Reed?"

"I dressed up like Donna Reed once!" Rory told him excitedly. "I had pearls and a big skirt and everything."

"I'd ask why, but I'm not sure I want to know," he told her, sipping his coffee and sliding the paper off of her lap.

She looked at him thoughtfully and kissed his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. "I like this," she said quietly.

"What?"

"Waking up with you."

"Technically, you didn't wake up with me, you woke me up with your mother."

"Shut up," she replied, slapping him playfully. "You know what I mean."

"I do," he replied, slipping an arm around her waist. "I like it too."

He kissed her softly on the lips. He let it linger until she lightly ran her fingers over the scratches she'd placed on his arms the night before, sending shivers through his body. He slipped his hands beneath the waistband of her sweatpants and Beethoven blared into the room.

"Oh my God, it's my editor," Rory cried, pushing Jess away and lunging toward her phone.

"Beethoven's Fifth for your boss? Very creative, Rory."

"Jerk," she said before answering her phone and walking into the kitchen. "Rory Gilmore. Yes, Mr. O'Brien, I'm fine. Well, I…was just doing my morning exercises."

Jess covered his mouth with his hands to keep from laughing out loud.

"Oh, she did?" Rory asked, her tone of voice slightly uncomfortable. "You did? Yeah, I have read the book, wrote a review for the Yale Daily News, actually. I'm fairly sure I could contact the author. So, you think it would make a nice button to the series. Oh, I completely understand. Yes, I'm going to the inauguration tomorrow. I'm meeting Amelia tonight in D.C. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. O'Brien."

Rory clicked her phone shut and walked back into her room with a look of trepidation. Jess cocked an eyebrow at her as he tossed the newspaper away.

"What's wrong?"

"Um, well, my editor just wanted me to make a bigger story out of some footage that we originally left out of our series altogether," Rory replied, sitting down at the foot of the bed. "It's just extra work on top of extra work. He probably knows I'm looking for another job and doesn't want to let me go."

"Okay," Jess replied, not sounding like he really believed her. "What author do you need to contact?"

"You."

"And you're only 'fairly sure' you can contact me?"

"Well, it's not like I can say to my boss, 'Of course, I can find Jess Mariano. Actually, he's naked in my bed reading the paper and drinking coffee, and he was attempting to undress me when you called.' _That_ would be real professional."

Jess laughed at Rory's annoyed expression. "Why does your editor want you to contact me?"

Rory sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "It's complicated."

"It's always complicated."

"But we just got over this, and it's going to dig up all this stuff, and I don't want you to hate me and it wasn't even really my idea. It was Amelia and he was right there and she thought we should, so we did, and it was awkward, but we weren't going to use the footage because there was the personal connection and that didn't seem like good, unbiased journalism, but O'Brien saw all of our footage, and _he_ thinks it would make a great human interest story and now he wants me to interview you," Rory said in one breath. "Jess, say something."

His forehead furrowed in utter confusion. "What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"I wasn't very clear, was I?"

"You made about as much sense as Ayn Rand."

"Hey, Ayn Rand makes perfect sense."

"Stop trying to change the subject."

"_You're_ the one that brought up Rand."

"Rory!"

"Fine! Okay, okay. Just…promise me you won't get mad."

"I can't promise you that," he told her sincerely.

Rory released a deep breath and replied, "I know you can't. Basically, what happened was that I interviewed Jimmy when Amelia and I talked to all those people in Venice that Sasha found for us."

"Why would I be mad about that?" he asked, grabbing one of her hands and gently pulling her to his end of the bed.

"I don't know," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder. "You got so mad when you found out I just went and _talked_ to Jimmy. And I didn't even want to do the stupid interview, but Amelia pointed out we hadn't heard from any small business owners and he was the only one in the room, so…"

"It's okay, really," he assured her, kissing the top of her head. "What-what did he say?"

"Well, that's why my editor wants me to interview you," she explained. "He wants your side of the story because Jimmy talked about you and how successful you were and he held up a copy of _The Subsect_ and he said he was jealous of you sometimes, but ultimately, he was proud. I wrote him off because I figured he was just humoring me, or trying to keep Sasha from killing him because she was giving him a Momma Kim-quality death glare the whole time."

Jess chuckled at Rory's last comment. "I think he may have been telling the truth. That's pretty much what he said to me when he called."

"You don't have to do the interview if you don't want to," Rory blurted suddenly. "I can call O'Brien right now and tell him you said no."

"Rory, I haven't said no."

"You haven't said yes."

"Look, just let me think about it, okay? Do I have time to think about it?"

"Yeah, you have time," she said, lacing her fingers with his.

"It's just…you're right, it's a lot of shit I don't really want to dig up. I really need to think about it."

"It's okay," she said, hugging him and kissing his cheek. "I understand. Well, I have an appointment with Lane, so I'm going to take a shower."

"You had to make an appointment to see your best friend?" Jess asked incredulously as she slipped from his grasp and walked toward the door.

"Well, I'm a busy career woman and she's the mother of twins. We have to make time somehow," Rory replied brightly. "My train is leaving at five, so I think we should leave around—"

"Three-thirty, so you can be there an hour early," he finished. "Yeah, I know."

She kissed him quickly and said, "I love you."

"Love you, too," he told her before picking up the paper once again.

* * *

"Hey, Luke."

"Hey," he replied shortly, barely glancing at Rory before looking at Jess. "It's Lane's day off. You think you could help me for a couple of hours?"

"Sure," Jess answered, hanging his coat up by the door.

"You want breakfast, Rory?" Luke asked, picking up his pad and pencil.

"Actually, I'd just like two coffees to go."

Luke glared at her. "Who's the second coffee for?"

"Uh…Lane."

"Lane doesn't have coffee at her house?"

"Well…"

"I know exactly what you're doing here, you know that, right?"

"I, uh—"

"I'll give you one coffee to go and that's it."

"But—"

"One coffee or nothing, Rory."

"Fine," she relented as Jess smirked and shook his head from behind the counter.

Luke poured her a single to-go cup and she walked out the door sulking. As soon as Luke's back turned, Jess dashed out the door after her. He slipped a to-go cup into her free hand and said, "Don't say I never did anything for you."

"Jess Mariano, you are the world's biggest sweetheart."

"Say that louder, Gilmore, I dare you," he threatened, his hands on her hips.

"Do you triple-dog-dare me?"

"Only if you agree to lick a metal pole."

"Would you really want my tongue to get so damaged?"

"Probably not," he conceded. "I gotta get back before Luke comes out and executes me."

He kissed her quickly and went back into the warmth of the diner where Luke fixed him with an angry stare.

"Traitor," Luke growled at him.

"That depends on your perspective."

"So, because you're sleeping with her, she takes precedence over your blood relatives?"

Kirk nearly choked on his chocolate milk. Jess glared at his uncle and said, "If he dies, _you _are dealing with his mother."

* * *

"Tell me again whey you couldn't just drink Sookie's coffee?"

"Sookie will only let me have decaf."

"Does that not tell you something? Sookie's actually had a baby."

"Hey, you're here. I think that proves I've had a baby at some point too."

"Not recently!"

"Pregnancy isn't really something you forget!"

"Will you two _please_ be quiet," Michel requested in his usual tone. "People are annoying enough today without the two of you screeching at one another in your high-pitched voices. You will damage my delicate ears."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and looked back at her daughter as Michel disappeared into the library. "His ears on the only thing that's delicate. So…truce?"

"Sure."

"How did you get Luke to give you two cups of coffee?"

"I didn't. Jess snuck me out a cup."

"Really?" Lorelai asked incredulously. "That's, you know, kind of sweet."

"I know," Rory replied, grinning. "He's always sort of been a marshmallow at heart. He's just grown up enough to show it now."

"Oh, God, now you're getting all girly over him. Stop it, or I'm going to have to get all girly over something. I might paint the whole inn pink."

"Please don't. Pink is way overrated and associated with a whole lot of cheese," Lane said, joining them at the front desk. "Is that real coffee. You're pregnant. You shouldn't be drinking real coffee."

"Everyone's a critic," Lorelai muttered as she sipped her coffee.

"How did you get that out of Luke's anyway?" Lane asked Rory. "You're not really the world's greatest sneak-thief."

"I know. Years of sitting at the feet of the master did absolutely nothing for me. And I had help."

"Aw, thank you for recognizing my mastery, and who helped you: Miss Patty, Babette, Kirk?"

"Jess."

"Really?"

"Jeez, nobody has any faith in my boyfriend."

"We base our opinions on past experiences," Lane assured her.

"Okay, well, I'll see you before I leave, okay, Mom?"

"Sure, sweets. Thanks for the coffee."

"I'll be sure to tell Jess you said so," Rory said over her shoulder as she and Lane walked out of the inn.

"Well, I just dropped the boys off at nursery school and Zach's with his bluegrass buddies, so it's just us women for a while."

"I don't understand how you're letting your mom send your children to Adventist nursery school, _or_ how you let your husband play the banjo."

"Hey, Adventist nursery school didn't make a dent on me, and Zach deserves to have his own things without me. Otherwise, I would be smothering."

"True. Being smothered is no fun…unless you're in bed."

"Dirty!"

"Hey, you've been spending way too much time with my mom."

"Well, somebody has to. You're not around that much anymore."

"She has Paul Anka, whom I have not seen in forever. He's probably hiding somewhere or guarding Mom's shoes."

"I need to stop and get some groceries at Doose's. Is that okay?"

"Sure, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, Dean works at Doose's, and the last time we talked we were planning on castrating him, so…"

"It's fine, Lane. If we run into him, I'm going to ignore him, which is exactly what he deserves."

"Sounds like a plan," Lane said as she opened the door.

"So what sort of provisions are we shopping for today?" Rory asked as they wandered down the aisles.

"Canned veggies, mostly, but we also need some cleaning supplies," Lane explained, picking up a basket. "I have to keep my CDs and vinyl clean. Zach's conformed and gone totally electronic."

"Hey, I have an iPod too, you know."

"Well, you went off to Yale and became a yuppie like the rest of them."

"Jeez, what is this? Pick On Rory Day?"

"Rory, hey."

Her skin crawled at the sound of his voice. She looked at her best friend. Lane was cringing and mouthing an apology. Rory just held her head up and walked on.

"Rory, I'm talking to you."

"What do you want, Dean?" she asked, finally turning around.

"I, um, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about your car."

"My car? You're apologizing for my car?"

"Yeah, I know it's probably a huge inconvenience for you and I'm sorry. It was my fault. I wish I could help pay for it, but I can't right now."

"I am so amazed at you right now," Rory told him. "You insult me trying to provoke my boyfriend who had his baby sister with him, and you are seriously apologizing to me for wrecking my car on which I have insurance to protect me from assholes like you!"

"I'm trying to be nice to you here, Rory."

"You want to be nice to me? Then be nice to my boyfriend when I'm not around, or, better yet, don't say anything to him at all!"

"How can you even be with that guy?!"

"Because he's smart, and sweet, and funny, and he makes me feel safe and alive and he loves me and, compared to you, he's a _god_ in bed. Lane, I will meet you at Luke's. "

"Rory, wait," he said, grabbing her elbow.

She wheeled around at the physical contact and slapped him without thinking. "Goodbye, Dean," she growled before huffing into the street and all the way to the diner where she sat down on one of the stools at the counter. She folded her arms across her chest and scowled at a random spot on the back wall. Jess cautiously poured her a cup of coffee.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" she asked suddenly.

"Have I told you there's no one else above you?"

"Jess!"

"I'm sorry. We weren't playing that game?"

"What game?"

"I don't know. The crazy Gilmore say-the-next-line–of-the-song game?" he suggested.

"I wasn't playing a game."

"Well, then you told me this morning."

"Told you what?"

"That you loved me. I love you, too."

"You said that this morning."

"I know, but _you_ seem to be having trouble remembering."

"It's nothing. I just…I was just at Doose's, and…"

"It's okay," he said, kissing her cheek. "I understand completely."

She smiled as he held her hand across the counter. Luke emerged from the kitchen holding two plates.

"Jess, you said you were going to help me. Take these plates to that table over there, and stop canoodling with your girlfriend."

Jess cocked an eyebrow as he took the plates from his uncle. "Where the hell did you hear a word like canoodling?"

"Don't use that language in front of the customers."

"What are you going to do? Dock my pay?"

"I might."

"You're not paying me."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Then I can talk however I want."

"Jess!"

"Fine! I'm going," the younger man relented before heading to the table with the plates.

Rory watched the entire exchange with an amused smile. Luke looked at her and said, "What?"

"I just love how well the two of you communicate even after all these years," she said, sipping her coffee.

Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning toward the coffee machine to make a fresh batch. The bell tinkled over the door and Lane came in laughing and carrying a sack from Doose's.

"Wow, Rory, that was just…I'm so proud. Dean's had that coming for a long time," Lane said, setting the bag down on an empty stool.

"Well, maybe I smacked some sense into him."

"I doubt it. Hey, did you know Miss Patty was in Doose's?"

"No, but I'm sure she was going to hear about it eventually."

"I'm not talking about he slapping Dean thing. I'm talking about the calling Jess a sex god thing."

"What?!"

Rory looked up to Jess' horrified expression and to Luke giggling almost uncontrollably.

"I-uh…"

"Sorry," Lane muttered. "He was over there when we started the conversation."

"Rory?" Jess said while Luke unsuccessfully swallowed his laughter.

"You remember that thing we were talking about a second ago about how you loved me and I loved you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, hold onto that when Miss Patty's grabbing your ass and asking you your favorite methods for pleasuring a woman."

"Rory!"

"Run, Lane!" Rory shouted before bolting toward the door.

Lane grabbed her groceries and bounded after her friend, giggling girlishly.

"Rory!" Jess shouted after them while Luke doubled over laughing. "This is _not_ funny."

"No, this is the most fun I've had since I found out you were working at Wal-Mart," Luke protested.

"That's it. I'm out of here."

"Where you going?" Luke asked as Jess pulled on his coat from the coat tree by the door.

"To get my sister. I doubt Miss Patty will try to rape me in front of a three-year-old."

"You never know," Luke mused loudly. "That woman might do anything to get to a bona fide sex-god."

With every eye in the diner on him, Jess slammed the door as Luke giggled like a schoolgirl.

* * *

A/N: So, this one was shorter than I usually do, but if I kept going, the chapter was going to wind up being like half the length of the entire story so far. This seemed like a decent stopping point, so I stopped. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it, next chapter should be up soonish.


	16. Chapter 16: Immaturity in a Blizzard

A/N: This chapter is really short, but to make up for that, I am including another chapter in one update. Cheers!

* * *

"Well, that was not one of the most mature things we've ever done," Lane declared as she and Rory filled the kitchen cabinets with canned goods.

"No," Rory agreed, "but it's not like I could stand there in the diner and explain the whole thing to him. Soda?"

"Sure, get me one, too," Lane said, lifting up one of the floorboards and hiding a box of Pop-Tarts and a can of Pringles.

"Lane, do you really have to hide that stuff from the twins?"

"It's not the boys, it's their dad," she explained, joining her friend in the living room and taking her can of soda from the coffee table. "So how are you going to explain everything to Jess. You know you're going to have to eventually."

"I know, but…remind me what I said exactly. Gilmores don't remember verbatim when they're ranting."

"Well, Dean asked you why you were with Jess and you said that he was smart and sweet and funny and he made you feel safe and alive, and that he loves you and that compared to Dean, he was a god in bed."

"Oh my God, I compared him to _Dean_! He's going to hate that!"

"Actually, you sort of compared him to Dean and Logan in that rant."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, not sexually, but you said that Jess made you feel safe and alive," Lane began. "Right before you slept with Dean, you told me about Jess asking you to run away with him, and I thought it was really romantic, if a bit stupid and unrealistic, and you said that Dean always made you feel safe. You were comfortable with Dean. And when you met Logan, he made you feel alive. Jess does both of those things for you, and, apparently, he rocks your world."

"Lane!"

"Come on, seriously, how is it?"

Rory blushed and said, "It is amazing and all its various synonyms."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"So…basically, what you can tell Jess that, no matter what anyone else thinks, he's _your_ sex god."

"Dirty!" Rory yelled before they succumbed to a fit of giggles.

"I miss this," Lane said.

"So do I," Rory agreed, embracing her friend.

* * *

"Doula, there's no snow on the ground. You can't make snow angels without snow."

"Can't you make grass angels?" she asked, swishing her arms and legs back and forth on the ground.

"Uh, no, not really," Jess answered, looking down at his sister.

"Did you make snow angels when you were little?" she asked, hopping up and taking his hand.

"Nope."

"Really?" she asked, as though it was the most horrible fate imaginable.

"I lived in New York. If I laid down on the ground long enough to make a snow angel, I'd get trampled," he explained as they ambled around the town square.

"I don't like New York," Doula declared, making a disgusted face.

"New York's great," Jess told her. "It has great libraries, interesting people, and lot's of ways you can get in trouble."

"Why would I get in trouble," she asked, her wide eyes blinking up at him.

"I…don't know," he answered finally. "Don't get in trouble. It's a bad thing."

Doula nodded solemnly. She looked up at him and said, "Jess, did you get in trouble when you were little in New York?"

"Yep, and when I was big right here in this town."

"How you get in trouble here?" Doula asked in utter shock.

"I had to be _very _creative."

"Oh."

Jess tensed when he saw Miss Patty on the sidewalk. She threw him a bright smile and said, "Well, hello, sailor!"

He forced a smile and waved back slightly. Doula looked up at him and said, "Jess, do you have a boat?"

"Nope."

"Do you have a subma-subma—underwater boat?"

"Nope."

"Then why did Miss Patty call you sailor?"

"I'll explain it to you in ten years. Let's get some lunch."

* * *

Rory took a deep breath when she saw Jess and Doula sitting at the table nearest the window. She timidly opened the door and walked over to them. He stood up and kissed her chastely when he saw her.

"Hey."

"Hey. Look, I promise I will explain everything on the way to the train station," she told him.

"You think the drive to Hartford will be long enough?" he joked.

"Positive," she answered, kissing him again.

"Gross," Doula said, looking up at them from her book.

Rory and Jess grinned sheepishly as she walked around him to sit down. Doula glared at her and Rory scooted her chair a few inches away from Jess in response. Doula smirked and looked back at her book. Jess looked between the two of them, his forehead furrowed in confusion.

"Hey, Rory, what'll you have?" Luke asked, pen and pad at the ready.

"Cheeseburger, fries, and a cherry coke," Rory answered quickly.

"Any pie?"

"Um…not today."

"Can we get some more fries?" Jess asked, shaking the empty basket.

"Need to keep up your strength, huh?" Luke replied, chuckling as Jess' ears turned crimson.

"Leave him alone, Luke," Rory said, taking Jess' hand beneath the table.

"Fine," Luke said, still chuckling as he walked back behind the counter.

"So, did anything interesting happen today?" Rory asked the other two people at the table.

"Miss Patty called Jess a sailor," Doula replied excitedly.

"Pretty tame."

"I was using Doula as a shield."

"Smooth move, Einstein."

"What's an Einstein?" Doula asked.

"Really smart guy," Jess explained.

"_And_ he had crazy hair like your brother used to have."

"I did _not_ have Einstein hair!"

"It stuck up all over the place!"

"Snow!"

The couple turned their attention back toward the toddler. "Huh?" they said in unison.

"Snow!" she repeated, pointing out the window and hopping out of her chair.

They looked out the window to see big flakes falling from the sky, clinging slightly to the dried grass in the square. Doula started pulling incessantly on her brother's free hand.

"Come on, Jess! Let's go make angels!"

"Doula, there's not enough snow yet."

"Come on, Jess! Pleeeeeeease!"

Jess looked at Rory who smiled and said, "Go on. I can share you with another woman for a little while."

"Thank you so much," he replied sarcastically before Doula successfully yanked him out of his chair. He barely had time to grab his coat before she pulled him out the door.

Rory smiled brightly as she watched Jess shake his head as Doula lay down on the wet grass swishing her arms and legs back and forth.

* * *

Jess dropped Doula off when the flakes started getting smaller and came down in heavier loads. He was on his way back to the Gilmore house when his phone started ringing.

"Hello," he answered, trying to keep his head out of the cold.

"Hey, Jess, it's Matt."

"And Chris."

"Oh, hey, Chris. Are you back in Philly?"

"No, we're on a three-way."

"Heh. A three-way."

"Wow. You guys are twelve."

"Not all of us are getting laid all the time like you," Chris replied.

"Well, I am," Matt interjected.

"Guys, please tell me there was a real reason you called?"

"Oh, yeah, we should all be able to come back on Sunday," Matt answered.

"And I finished your manuscript and should have suggestions for you by then," Chris said in his business voice.

"Is that it?"

"Is it snowing there?" Chris asked. "Cause a bad snowstorm just tore through here and it was headed your way."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. See you guys Sunday," he said before clicking his phone off and walking into the Gilmore house.

Rory practically assaulted him as soon as he was in the door.

"The snow's going to stop being pretty. We need to go now before it gets really bad!"

"I was going to say the same thing. Chris just told me it was pretty bad in Jersey."

"Well, let's go!" she said, handing him her bag.

He took her bag and turned to leave. Rory grabbed his face and kissed him hard on the mouth. "I'm glad you're here," she told him quietly.

"Glad I'm here, too," he replied, just as softly. "Let's go before we get snowed in."

* * *

Rory and Lorelai said goodbye to each other from the passenger side windows of Jess and Luke's vehicles respectively. Luke was driving Lorelai home early out of an expectant father's sense of overprotectiveness.

Jess and Rory were halfway to Hartford when he looked over at her and said, "So, are you ever going to tell me, or are you going to make me ask?"

"Do you really need to know?" Rory asked him.

"I'm going to have to go out in Stars Hollow without my sister at some point."

Rory took a deep breath. "Okay, Lane and I went into Doose's because she needed groceries and Dean was in there, and I tried to ignore him, but he kept bugging me, and he apologized for my car of all things. I mean, I have insurance to protect me from rats like him. My grandfather's an insurance man, for God's sake. I mean, duh! And I just got mad and I started ranting because that's what Gilmores do when they're mad, and the words god and bed may have been thrown around in relation to why I'm with you."

"Huh."

"That's all I get? Huh."

"Am I supposed to disagree with you? Because, I gotta tell you, that would be a serious blow to my ego."

"Apparently your ego could use some deflating."

Jess simply chuckled and shook his head.

"Are you mad?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll probably be really pissed the first time Miss Patty grabs my ass, but I think I can get over it."

"You mean Miss Patty has never grabbed your ass on principle?"

"Not that I recall," he answered reluctantly.

"Well, it's a great ass to grab, in my personal opinion."

"I'm pretty sure this is the longest conversation I've ever had about my own ass."

"I'd be worried if it wasn't."

"Crazy."

"You love it."

"Yeah, I do."

* * *

"I don't like that look."

"What look?"

"The frown and the critical eyes and the holding your coffee cup almost a foot away from your mouth."

"This is decaf. It doesn't count."

"Lorelai, what's going on?" Luke asked, sitting down next to her on the couch.

"I'm pregnant."

"I know."

"With a baby."

"That's usually how it works."

"We can't live here."

"That was a leap."

"No, it's not! You have a daughter! I have a daughter, and she's got this guy who might _actually_ be sticking around this time—"

"That's my nephew you're talking about."

"Quiet. We're going to have a baby and if everybody's here at once, we're not going to have any room. It's gonna be Joseph and Mary at Christmas!"

"Rory and Jess can always stay above the diner."

"But Rory's room won't be Rory's room anymore."

"Lorelai, you knew that was going to happen sometime," Luke told her, stroking her back comfortingly. "She hasn't been living here regularly for a long time."

"But it was still Rory's room. Even when we weren't speaking, it was still her room."

"Lorelai, what are you trying to say?"

"This isn't our house. I've lived here with Rory and I've lived here with Chris—"

"You've lived here with me."

"Not with a family. Not with _our_ family, large and complicated though it may be. We should have a place for _our_ family."

"Lorelai, you love this house. Are you sure this isn't, like, the pregnancy hormones, or whatever, talking?"

"I'm sure," Lorelai answered. "Luke, we should have a place. _We_ should have a place."

Luke nodded. "I'll get the computer. You turn on the real estate channel."

* * *

"This isn't how I planned the day to end, but I like it," Rory said, as she snuggled closer to Jess' chest.

"Sorry your train got cancelled."

"No, you're not. If my train hadn't been cancelled, I wouldn't be in bed with you right now."

"True."

"Although kicking your dashboard all the way back to Stars Hollow to keep your windshield wipers going was not exactly my idea of a good time."

"It was either that, or stay at your grandmother's."

"Oh, I'm saving all my energy for the grandparents on Friday when Mom is finally going to tell them she's started baking."

"Huh?"

"She's pregnant. Bun in the oven. Baking," Rory explained. "Hey, are you going to be in town for Friday night dinner?"

"Yeah, I can't go back to Philly until Sunday."

"Will you—"

"No."

"But Mom will want something shiny to distract the grandparents so she can just slip in the whole 'I'm pregnant' thing and then run out the door."

"You think I'm something shiny?"

"You are right now."

"That's called sweat, Rory."

"I thought it was called the afterglow."

Jess laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know, sometimes I miss sweet, innocent Rory who would _never_ say something like that."

"Do you really?"

"On second thought, don't miss her at all," Jess said before flipping her over and attacking her mouth with his.


	17. Chapter 17: Talking Italian Sausage

A/N: This chapter took way too long to write and it starts off really whacky and ends up with a lot of angst, but I still like it. Enjoy!

* * *

"You're late."

"Did you open?" Luke asked his nephew as he shrugged his coat off, looking around a sparsely populated diner.

"Didn't have a choice. Rory got up early to watch inauguration coverage," Jess answered, picking up the decaf coffee pot.

"I wanted half-decaf—half-caf," Kirk said as Jess poured him a cup of coffee.

"It's one way or the other, Kirk. You can't have both," Jess said quickly before replacing the pot on the burner.

"You opened?" Luke asked again, still incredulous.

"Jeez, I was upstairs, I opened at six, Cesar came in at ten after, and Kirk showed up promptly at six-fifteen and then you showed up. It's not a conspiracy. What's more interesting is why you were late. You're…you."

Luke opened his mouth to answer when his forehead furrowed in confusion at the sight of Rory wearing nothing but a t-shirt.

"My pencil broke and my laptop is dead and I can't find the cord. Is it in my case? Did we leave it in the car?"

"Uh…Rory."

She looked down and cried, "Oh my God!" before racing back up the stairs.

"Like mother, like daughter," Kirk said. "They both have the same great legs."

"Would you like to kill him or should I?" Luke asked.

"I'll do it."

"Coming Lulu!" Kirk screamed before running into the snow without his coat.

"That was fun."

"Yes, it was."

* * *

"Hey, sweets, you decent?"

"Yes," Rory answered from the chair in front of the TV. "I really wish I hadn't started watching this stuff so early. Now I'm really bored and I've still got hours of this before he makes one of the most historically important speeches since the train stopped at Gettysberg."

"Are you going to give the pregnant woman the chair, or do I have to stand on my own swollen feet."

"Your feet are not swollen."

"How do you know?"

"You couldn't wear those shoes if your feet were swollen."

"Okay, you asked for it. One time, in that very chair, Luke and I were, well, naked—"

"Oh my God oh my God oh my God! I'm out, okay?" Rory said, jumping out of the chair.

"Exxxxcellent," Lorelai replied, laughing evilly and sitting down.

Rory grabbed a chair from the kitchen and muted the television. "So, what brings you here through two feet of snow?"

"You know the snow is magical, and I have to go to work before Michel burns the place down because he had to stay there all night," Lorelai explained. "So, not to be momly, but how is all of this going to effect your job?"

"Amelia's in D.C. taking pictures, I can watch all the pertinent stuff on TV, write my article, have it pretty and posted by five. I think we're good."

"That's my daughter: over-confident reporter."

"Well, you know what Shakespeare says: confidence thy name is Rory."

"Oh, I heard you pulled a Lorelai this morning."

"Well…it is my name."

"I mean walking into the diner in nothing but your boyfriend's shirt."

"Oh, yeah…that was humiliating, but at least the only customer was Kirk."

"Sweetie, I'm pretty sure he got pictures when I did it."

"I'm screwed."

"What possessed you to go down there?"

"I was about to start scratching notes into the tabletop…and I hadn't had enough coffee."

Lorelai laughed and nodded. "God, I wish I had a better segue, but I don't, so…Luke and I had a talk last night."

Rory's face fell. "Oh, no! Mom, you can't do this. You're having a baby with Luke now, and—"

"Rory, Rory! Alto! Alto! Sit down! It wasn't that kind of conversation. We're not breaking up. We've done the breaking up thing. We're over it."

"Then what topic could you and Luke have discussed that would need a good segue?"

Lorealai reached across the arm of her chair and rested a hand on her daughter's wrist. "Sweetie, Luke and I are going to buy a house of our own."

"What? Why? What's wrong with our house?"

"Rory, honey, you just said it. It's our house."

"But-but when you and Luke were getting married the first time, you totally redid the house and made it your own."

"And then he indefinitely postponed the wedding, we broke up, and I promptly married your father and lived in that house with him and Gigi and you occasionally."

"So, the presence of Dad has tainted our house?"

"No, no, it's just that…Rory, run the pro-con list in your head. Luke and I need a bigger place: a place of our own."

Rory looked down at the floor. She sighed when she finally looked up. "You and Luke should have a place of your own."

Lorelai squeezed her daughter's hand and smiled. "We already looked at some places online last night, but we're not going anywhere without your approval."

Rory smiled. "I guess we're adding house-hunting to our list of celebratory activities next week."

* * *

"Hey, brought you lunch, and before you tell me I'm sweet, I just did it because Liz and TJ are downstairs and driving me insane."

"That was one of the longest sentences you've ever spoken, and you're still sweet," Rory answered, kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed as she sat down at the table in front of the burger and fries he just delivered.

"Hey, do you know how to proofread?" she asked, after swallowing her first bite.

"Rory, I work at a publishing company," he reminded her with a cocked eyebrow.

"Don't get smart with me, mister," she told him. "My article is over there on the desk. Proofread, please."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied sarcastically with a mock salute before picking up the pages and a pen. "How was his speech?"

"Read the article and you'll find out."

"Touché."

They sat in silence as she ate and he read her article. She grinned as she took a sip of her coffee. "I keep expecting Mom or Luke to come up here and catch us making out on the couch."

"We're not making out on the couch."

"I guess they figure we've grown up."

"Or they figure we've had sex and there's no point in stopping us anymore."

"Also possible."

He gave her back the marked pages of her article and said, "It's good. Some of the best you've written."

She examined the pages as he got a glass of water from the faucet over the sink. She inwardly groaned at the mistakes Jess highlighted. She'd left the d off of and a couple of times and even used the passive a few times. And he still thought it was good.

"How could you think this is good?" she asked, moving toward her laptop. "It's riddled with mistakes."

"You'll fix them, though, and mechanics aren't the only things that make a piece of writing good," he told her from his seat on the counter.

She looked up at him and considered him carefully. "How much of my writing have you actually read?"

"Enough."

"Jess."

"I read all of your stuff on the campaign," he replied, setting his glass in the sink. "Chris found your review of _The Subsect_ in the Yale newspaper, but I didn't read it. It wasn't that long after you came to Philadelphia, and I was still pissed."

"It wasn't my best work," she admitted, moving to stand in front of him. "Everything I wrote was true, but I wrote it because I felt guilty about what happened. It was the best apology I could give at the time."

"I kind of figured," he answered quietly.

"Why did you read my stuff on the campaign?" she asked finally.

"So I could hear your voice. I just really wanted to hear your voice, even if it was just in writing. I'm a masochist, I guess," he replied, smirking nervously and not quite meeting her eyes. "You're hard to get over, Rory Gilmore. I'm pretty sure that's the one thing me, the bag boy, and that blond dick at Yale would all agree on."

"You saying I'm a heartbreaker?" she asked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, you are," he told her seriously.

Rory flinched at his tone. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cupped her face in his hand.

"Hey," he began quietly, "you're worth it."

She attempted a smile as he kissed the side of her nose and hopped off the counter. He started toward the door, but she caught his arm and kissed him softly on the mouth.

"You're worth it, too," she assured him.

His smirk reached his eyes before he walked out the door.

* * *

"Hey, Sookie," Rory greeted later that afternoon.

"Cupcake!" the redhead exclaimed as she looked up from folding fresh strawberries into whipped cream. "Why'd you come through the back?"

"I didn't want Mom to see me. We need to figure out something to do for her bachelorette party. A tri-county pub crawl-slash-scavenger hunt isn't going to work now that she's pregnant."

"Oh, God, I hadn't thought of that," Sookie said, biting her lower lip. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm here."

"Well, we could—no. Or we could—no. We—no, that won't work either. Damnit, Lorelai! Why did she have to go and get herself knocked up?"

"She didn't do it alone."

"True. Damn that Luke."

"Do you think you could stop with the damnation for a while to help with an alternative?"

"I'm spent, sweets. I bet Miss Patty would have some good ideas."

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Oh, are you afraid she's going to tease you about calling your boyfriend a sex god. Oh! Or is it the coming down the stairs in nothing but Jess' Clash t-shirt?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "It was The Smiths and_ technically_, I did not call him a sex god, and, no, I'm not really looking forward to facing the cats. I guess I'll go get it over with."

"Sorry I couldn't be more help."

"It's okay, Sookie. Don't mention to my mom I was here."

"You got it, sweetheart."

* * *

"Hey, ladies. Can I join you?"

"Rory, darling!"

"Hey, sugar, I thought you were gonna be out of town for a couple of days?"

"The trains didn't start running again until ten this morning and it was too late by then," Rory explained as she joined them at their table at Weston's. "I got it covered though."

"That's our girl. Always pullin' through. What'd you need to talk to us about, doll?"

"I assume you're not having man trouble. I heard you were having _no_ trouble at all in that area."

Rory reddened at the ears. "I, uh, no, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," she stammered. "As you know, Mom and Luke are expecting a baby."

"Oh, we do," Patty assured her. "That child will be beautiful: all blue eyes and brown hair."

"And as sarcastic as they come, I'm sure."

Rory smiled sheepishly. "Probably. Well, what it means is that our original plan for Mom's bachelorette party is kaput. She's not going to enjoy watching the rest of us get tipsy when she can't drink at all."

"Oh, that's true."

"That won't be fun for Lorelai, and it is her party," Patty agreed.

"I already talked to Sookie, and she doesn't have any ideas for a replacement party, and I've got nothing," she told them. "You're my only hope."

The two older women looked at each other. "Hmmm…this is a problem," Patty conceded.

"We're gonna have to do some major thinkin' on this one, Rory."

"Well, we need a plan fast. The party was supposed to be a week from today."

"We'll spread the word and get back to you after the town meeting tomorrow."

"Keep it on the down-low, though. We don't want Mom catching wind of anything."

"You got it, sugar."

"Thanks, ladies," Rory said, standing to leave.

"I suppose you want to get back to enjoying that Italian sausage of yours."

"Oh, Patty! You're wicked!"

Rory rushed back out into the street wincing while her ears turned red. She silently reminded herself to choose her words carefully, even while ranting.

* * *

"Apparently, you're just my Italian sausage," Rory said as she walked into the apartment above the diner.

"What?" Jess asked, looking at her over his book.

"That's what Miss Patty says you are: my Italian sausage," she explained as she hung up her coat and stepped out of her rubber boots.

"I don't—aw, jeez!" he exclaimed, tossing the book aside and making a disgusted face. "That's just…wrong."

"And you thought you were the one that's going to get tortured," she said, sitting down in his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Just remember, you brought this on yourself."

"I know, I know. So…how was your day, sweetheart?" she asked sarcastically.

He laughed and said, "It was fine. Lane actually paid me a compliment."

"Really?"

"She said I was surprisingly efficient."

"You see? An Italian sausage wouldn't be so useful."

"Please don't call me that to my face, or, you know, ever."

"Oh, come on. It's kind of flattering."

"I'd rather not be compared to pizza toppings, and I'm really not even all that Italian."

"Have you looked at your driver's license lately, or maybe a _mirror_?"

"Very funny," he replied flatly. "Jimmy's half-Italian, that's where the name comes from, and that's it."

"Jess, you're half-Italian."

"No, Jimmy's half-Italian."

"No, Jess, _you_ are half-Italian."

"Rory, only one of my parents is half-Italian, meaning that _I_ am not."

"Listen to me, Lou, Luke and Liz' mom was born in Italy and came to this country with her family after the end of World War II. _Both_ of your parents are half-Italian, meaning _you_ are half-Italian."

"Huh. That's just…pathetic," he concluded.

"Pathetic? How is being half-Italian pathetic? If you weren't half-Italian the hair, and the eyebrows, and the nose, and the funny mouth, and the don't-fuck-with-me attitude would have absolutely no excuse."

He smirked and shook his head. "That's not what I meant. It's just pathetic that you know more about my family than I do."

"Jess, it's not pathetic," she assured him. "Your grandparents were gone way before you were born, and the only reason I know anything is because my mom is pugnacious and sharing. Lots of people don't know a lot about their families. How do you think those genealogy websites survive? _You_ are not pathetic, and don't you dare say that you are."

"I think you're biased," he told her.

"Just a little," she admitted, kissing the scar forming above his right eyebrow.

"Are you decent?" Lorelai asked, shielding her eyes with one hand as she opened the door to the apartment.

"Yes, and you could just knock."

"But where's the fun in that?" Lorelai replied, removing her hand from her eyes and immediately scoffing at them. "Hey! You guys aren't even horizontal. Have you learned nothing from me about how to get caught in a compromising position?"

Rory and Jess looked at one another with raised eyebrows.

"Did you need something, Mom?"

"Oh, yeah, I need you to order fries and a burger so I can steal from your plate."

"Why?"

"Because Luke is making me eat grilled chicken," Lorelai whined.

"Fine. I'll be down in a minute," Rory relented as her mother skipped away clapping her hands.

"You coming?" she asked Jess from the door.

"Nah, I'm not really hungry. And…there's something I should do."

"Okay," Rory answered uncertainly.

"Don't worry. I'll be here when you get back," he promised, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"You better be."

* * *

"What's on your mind, babe?"

"Jess."

"Can Mommy not have your undivided attention for even an hour?" Lorelai asked before looking down at her stomach. "Will you be so cruel to Mommy when you're in _loooove_?"

"Oh, stop it," Rory told her, keeping her tone teasing. "Is it weird?"

"What?"

"That I'm in love with Jess?"

"No. Yes."

"You're supposed to just pick one, Mom."

Lorelai took a deep breath. "It's not weird because you've been here before. You know each other, or at least you know the important stuff: the stuff that makes you guys who you are. But it _is_ weird because you guys just seem to have fallen into this comfortable routine in less than a month and you didn't see each other for like two weeks of that. To random dude on the street: yeah, it's super weird. To your lovely mother and your lovely, nosy town: only mildly weird."

"Oh, great. So I'm only mildly weird."

"That's the price of love, babe," Lorelai told her, popping a cheese-fry in her mouth.

"Rory! Are you letting her eat your food?"

"Busted!" Rory said, pointing at her mother.

"Me? You're the one that's helping!"

"You're both busted," Luke told them gruffly, removing the basket of fries from their table.

"Aw, man!" the Gilmore girls whined in unison.

* * *

Rory helped Cesar close up after Kirk left. He told her he didn't need help but she got the feeling she didn't want to interrupt Jess from whatever he was doing. After twiddling her thumbs in the dark for five minutes, she finally went upstairs, and mentally kicked herself for being too sensitive.

Jess was asleep, one arm hanging off the bed, a book in his hand. He was still dressed right down to his socks. Rory smiled as she gently took the book from his hand and covered him with the blanket from the foot of the bed. She brushed a few stray hairs from his forehead and kissed him lightly. He stirred slightly but didn't wake up.

She tiptoed toward the other end of the apartment to get some pajamas. She stopped when she saw an open notebook on the kitchen table. A quick glance at the neat, precise handwriting told her it was Jess'. A note at the top of the first page said, _Yes, Rory, you can read this._

She rolled her eyes, but smiled as she picked up the notebook and walked over to the couch. She switched on the lamp and covered her lap with a nearby throw. She looked down intently at the precise writing in her hands.

_I don't like to talk about myself_, it began. _Don't get me wrong. I'm not self-loathing. I was once. I'm not that way anymore. At least, I don't think I am._

_ I went through a time when I felt worthless. Only two people in the world ever believed I was worth something, and I thoroughly let them down. You might think those two people were my parents. You're not even close._

_ I was a modern cliché at seventeen. Apparently, there was a stamp on my forehead screaming, 'bad boy.' It wasn't undeserved. I skipped school, drank, smoked, vandalized, stayed out all night, stole stuff. I figured I had a great excuse: Daddy disappeared the day I was born. All he left me was the last name. Mommy was, well…she was Liz. She drank. She smoked (more than just cigarettes). She had a string of boyfriends and husbands I couldn't name if I tried. They weren't all horrible. They weren't all great either. I have scars from broken beer bottles. I bet some of them have scars too. When I was really young, I used to wonder what life would have been like if my father hadn't left. It couldn't have gotten much worse than the life I was stuck in without him. I figured the lousy life Liz provided gave me the right to live however the hell I wanted. One day, she gathered her wits enough to disagree, and sent me to live with her brother in Connecticut._

_ If my uncle had any sense at all, he wouldn't have taken me in, but Luke's biggest flaw is that he can't say 'no', especially to the people he loves. Our relationship was far from perfect. We spent a lot of time yelling at each other, but I see now how hard he was trying. He wasn't exactly Andy Griffith, but he's the closest I've ever seen. He wanted me to graduate from high school. He didn't want me to become like the bum that married his sister. I got kicked out of school. It was my fault. I let him down._

_ My uncle wasn't the only person I disappointed. You see, there was this girl, because, yeah, there's always a girl. When I first met her, I figured she was just naïve when she told me I could do more than 'whatever, wherever.' She'd grown up in a town the size of a postage stamp. What could she know? After a long and complex series of events, we started dating. I could never figure out why she chose me, but I get it now. She believed it when she told me I could do more than 'whatever, whenever.' I didn't know that at eighteen, and I ran to the other side of the country rather than be the worthless dropout boyfriend of the princess in the Ivy League. I couldn't make myself say goodbye, not even after I'd gone._

_ I went to California because that's where Jimmy, my father, lived. He just showed up at my uncle's diner. I think it freaked him out how much alike we were, despite the fact we'd never met. Freaked me out too._

_ I lived with Jimmy and his makeshift family of dogs and a girlfriend and her daughter for six months. I learned Jimmy wasn't evil. I couldn't hate him even though he abandoned me. He gave a place to live after I'd let everyone else down. I guess I'm kind of grateful for that. Luke was right about Jimmy: he'd been a bum until a few years before we met. You've heard that expression, "like father, like son?" Yeah, we were just alike. When I realized that, it scared me shitless. And I ran again all the way back to where I came from. Then Liz had to go and get her shit together. What the hell was I doing? My uncle was still giving me money so I wouldn't have to sleep in my car. And then there was the rejection from the only woman I ever loved. Don't know why I should have expected anything else at the time. She was still a princess in her ivy-covered halls. I was still a bum. She believed in me once. I wanted her to believe in me again._

_ I started over. I got my life together. I wrote a book. I'd rewrite it if I could, but my publishers won't let me. I live with them, so I kind of have to do what they say. My life is working. I'm not thirty yet and don't have a kid I've abandoned or shipped off. I've done better than the people who created me. I even somehow managed to get that girl back. I can't quite shake that feeling, though, that feeling that I'm gonna fuck up and it'll all get shot to shit. Jimmy told me once that screw-up was in my blood, and I know that it sure as hell is. I have to hope against hope that maybe I'll end up less like my father and more like my uncle, but without the proclivity to flannel (if you knew him, you'd understand)._

_ You're probably reading this in the dark, wondering why I couldn't just tell you all of this._

Rory took in a sharp breath when she realized this part was directed specifically at her.

_I can't talk about it,_ the writing continued, _or I won't. Not really sure which it is. I can't do that interview. This is the best I can manage. I hope you can use it. I love you._

She didn't realize she was crying until a tear landed on the page. A hand pushed the hair away from her face and wiped another tear away with its thumb. She looked up to see Jess kneeling in front of her.

"I love you, too," she told him quietly, choking back her tears.

"I know," he whispered, kissing her softly. "Come to bed."

* * *

A/N: So...Rory does a great imitation of her mother, Miss Patty makes a terrible joke, and Jess explains himself in writing...yeah, that's the basics. Hope you enjoyed it and your holidays! Cheers!


	18. Chapter 18: Like Wabbits

A/N: So, first author's note is more like a fact-finding mission: I'm a recent fan and I knew what Literati meant before I even saw an entire episode. What I would like to know is where on earth we got the name Literati. I had a reviewer ask me where the name came from and I felt ridiculous saying I had no clue. I did a little searching on this website today and the earliest mention I could find was from a fic from 2002. Anybody else have more knowledge than I? It would be great to share. Now...on with the story:

* * *

"Daughter of mine! What are you doing here?"

"What? Do you not want me here?"

"No, but what's wrong with the diner, or the house? You and Jess didn't have a fight, did you?"

"No, but I'm working and he's working, and my editor might call, and Luke hates phones and the house depresses me and they don't have wi-fi at Weston's, and I figured my own mommy wouldn't turn me away, but I forgot I might be being replaced by a nameless fetus."

"Oh, sweetie, no one will ever replace you," Lorelai assured her as she sat down across from her in the Dragonfly's dining room. "You are my special, eldest child. I will always keep you by my side…unless you're having sex because that would be weird."

"It'd be weird if you were the one having sex too."

"True. That reminds me, is Jess coming to dinner tomorrow?"

"Sex reminded you about Friday night dinner?"

"Well, I've had sex at Friday night dinner before, so…"

"Ew!"

"Is the 'abominable thug' coming or not?"

"He said no the last time I asked, but I'll work my wiles."

"Oh, the men in that family cannot resist the Gilmore wiles. Hey, I've been meaning to ask, what was Jimmy like?"

"Kind of like Jess. Well, I guess Jess is like Jimmy, technically. They have the same cheekbones. Amelia said they have the same ass, but I honestly didn't look."

"That can't be! Jess definitely has the Danes ass."

"Okay…talking about my boyfriend's ass with my mother is definitely going on the list of things that disturb me."

"You have a list of things that disturb you?"

"Yes, and this is going right up there with giving birth."

"Seriously, though, did you find out anything interesting? Like maybe why Jimmy ditched his kid the day he was born?"

"Not really," Rory answered. "He's sorry about it, but he's proud of Jess for getting his life together. He just doesn't show it very well. I did an interview with him because he was there and my editor liked it. He wanted me to do an interview with Jess. Jess wrote me a letter. I think that was easiest for him. O'Brien wasn't really satisfied with that, but he can't force Jess to do anything, so I'm making it work."

"What did the letter say?"

"If you were Miss Patty, or Babette, or East Side Tilly, I would totally be questioning your motives right now."

"Hey, I'm bored! All the remaining guests are lethargic from the blizzard, and some of them couldn't come, and, of course, the Inn is closed _next_ weekend for some crazy woman's wedding reception."

Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Come on, sweetie, let Mommy in on your secrets."

Rory sighed, closed her laptop, and looked directly at her mother. "Mostly it was about who he was and what inspired him to get his life together," she explained. "He described his lousy life with Liz, and how he disappointed the only two people who ever believed in him."

"You and Luke," Lorelai interjected.

"How did you know?"

"How do you think you got all of your brainpower?" Lorelai asked facetiously. "Go on."

"Well, Jess ran away to California and found out he and his father were a lot alike, and Jess really hated the idea of being like the man that abandoned him, and he came back to find that both of his parents got their lives working. And then, he came to Yale, and Dean was there, and I very solidly told him to go away. So, he decided he'd be a person I could believe in like I did when we were seventeen. He-he said he liked how his life was going now, but he's always got this nagging feeling he's going to screw up because that's what most people, including his father expect from him. He also said he wanted to rewrite his book, which is completely ludicrous because it's great just the way it is."

Lorelai smiled as she held onto one of Rory's hands. "Wow. He really has grown up. He would have never told you that back in the day, even in writing."

"He told me a while back that everything we've gone through has gotten us to where we are now," Rory said absently. "He's right, I know he is, but I wish, for both of us, we could have avoided some of that pain."

"Sweetie, that's just part of loving someone," Lorelai assured her daughter, gently laying a hand over Rory's. "Wanting to take all the hurt and pain away is part of the package. You just have to remember that you'll never really be able to. The only person that can really do that for him is Jess."

"I know. Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime, sweets."

* * *

"I could die right now."

"Was it really that bad?"

"Worse actually."

"You sure you aren't being judgmental because you've got a pretty girl stroking your ego all the time and telling you you're awesome?"

"Matthew!"

"Fine! I'm just surprised. His poetry is amazing."

"His fiction blows."

"Wow, Jess, could you express your opinion in plainer language?"

"Probably not."

"Fine. I'll tell him he sucks, but I'll do it nicer than you would."

"I'm sure you will."

"Oh, and you can come back earlier if you want. We should have heat by Saturday night."

"Are you sure about these guys? I mean, Mike found them, right?"

"Actually, Mike's mom knows them through the historical society."

"We're trusting the woman that raised Mike?"

"You _raise_ corn and chickens, you _rear_ children, and maybe Mike was a fluke."

"That's a pretty damned big fluke."

"It's possible. Aren't you sort of a fluke?"

"Please don't bring _me_ into this."

"What are you being brought into?"

Jess looked up and smiled at Rory. "Gotta go, Matt."

"Just remember, dude, sex can kill."

"Shut up, Matt," Jess said before clicking his phone shut and tossing it away.

"You are just so nice to your friends," Rory told him jokingly. "Here, I brought you dinner."

"Aren't you sweet?" he asked sarcastically, taking the box of food from her hands and setting it aside. He got up just enough to grab her waist and pulled her down on top of his lap.

"Oh, no, you don't," she said, pushing him away slightly. "I'm going to the town meeting tonight."

"You mean group therapy at the cuckoo's nest?"

"Yes, staring Taylor as our very own Nurse Ratched."

"Don't offend Louise Fletcher's memory comparing her to Taylor."

"But she's not dead."

"Then don't offend her."

"_You're_ the one that thought she was dead. The Internet Movie Database is your friend."

"Thanks for the tip," he said before pulling her face to his and kissing her hard on the mouth. "You really want to go?"

"No," she answered, resting her forehead against his, "but I have to talk to Miss Patty and Babette about Mom's replacement party, so…"

"So, wait until after the town meeting," he suggested, trailing kisses down her neck and snaking a hand up her shirt.

"God, you're evil," she moaned.

He smirked and said, "I tried evil once. It didn't last."

* * *

"Hey, did I miss anything good?" Rory asked, sitting down next to her mother and Luke.

Lorelai grinned and said, "You're out of breath."

"I was running late."

"Your hair is all messy."

"I was _running_."

"Your shirt's buttoned up wrong."

"I, uh…" Rory began as she re-buttoned her shirt.

"Ha! You were doing something dirty!"

"Oh my God! Again?" Luke asked incredulously. "What are you two? Bunnies?"

"Or as Elmer Fudd would say: wabbits," Lorelai said, grinning evilly.

"Enough about Jess and Rory's sex life already!" Gypsy said, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"That's true. We've all heard more than I think we cared to already," Kirk interjected.

"Oh, jeez," Rory muttered, sinking into her chair.

"Will the contingent in the back please keep their voices down?"

"Sorry, Taylor," Lorelai replied insincerely.

"And that brings us to our last order of business," Taylor droned, "As you have all probably noticed, a certain former resident of our town has recently been popping in unannounced and uninvited."

"Oh, no. He's not really doing this, is he?"

"Maybe he's talking about termites," Lorelai suggested hopefully.

"I am, of course, speaking about Jess Mariano."

"Not termites, then."

"Lay off him, Taylor," Luke called out gruffly.

"Luke, I know he's your nephew—"

"That's right. He's my family and he has an open invitation anytime he needs it or wants it."

"Be that as it may—"

"There's not be that as it maying with this," Rory said, standing up. "Jess has done absolutely nothing to any of you since we've been back together."

"That's true. All my gnomes are exactly where they should be."

"As are all my limbs," Kirk added.

"He never threatened to de-limb you, Kirk," Luke reminded him angrily.

"Be that as it may," Taylor repeated, "Jess has been responsible for multiple altercations in my market."

"You are _not _blaming Jess for Dean being a jackass," Rory told him firmly.

"Mind your language, young lady."

"Shut up, Taylor."

"She got that from you," Lorelai whispered to Luke. He smirked in reply.

"I know Jess wasn't always the greatest, but he's grown up, and he cares about me, and the only reason he's back here is because of me, and he's coming back next week for Mom and Luke's wedding so you're just gonna have to deal with it, Taylor."

"Well, I never…"

"Oh, shut up, Taylor," Miss Patty said, taking the gavel from his hand and banging it against the podium. "Meeting dismissed."

People started moving around while Taylor and Miss Patty started arguing over the gavel. Sookie came up to Rory giggling.

"Wow, Rory, I haven't seen Taylor put in his place like that…well…ever."

"I learned from the best," she replied, looking over at Luke who was helping Lorelai into her coat.

"And we are so proud, aren't we Luke?"

"What? I had nothing to do with it," Luke excused.

"What are you talking about? That rant against Taylor's autocracy was all you," Lorelai told him.

"Well, you raised her."

"You helped…in your own special way."

"Not really. I just…"

"You did, Luke."

He smiled sheepishly before kissing her softly.

"Awww," Rory and Sookie cooed in unison.

"Stop it," Luke told them through gritted teeth.

"Psst, Rory, Sookie, c'mon," Babette called, motioning them over.

"What's going on there?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing you need to know about," Rory replied. "You just go home and rest with your fiancé and little no-name."

"You're up to something," Lorelai said, her eyes narrowing.

"Never you mind," Rory said. "Luke, will you pleeeeease take her home?"

"You got it, Rory. C'mon."

"Wait, wait! Is Jess coming to dinner tomorrow or not?"

"Yes, he's coming."

"Did he say that, or are you just saying that hoping it's true because if I tell Emily Stalin Gilmore he's coming and the hoodlum doesn't show, there will be hell to pay and _you _will be the one paying it."

"He'll be there."

"Okay," Lorelai said uncertainly as Luke pulled her out of Miss Patty's.

"Finally," Rory said. "Come on, Sookie, let's go find out what they've cooked up for Mom's bachelorette party."

* * *

Jess had the music up so loud and was so engrossed in his book he didn't know Rory was back until she tore the book out of his hands and straddled him on the bed, one knee on either side of his hips.

"Hey," he said, smirking.

"You're coming to dinner tomorrow night."

"And this is your big plan to get me there?"

"Basically. Is it working?"

"Sort of. Why do you want me there? And don't say you just want me to distract them from your mom's big announcement. What's your real reason?"

She ran her fingers across his torso as she lifted his t-shirt over his head. "I like you," she explained shortly. "Grandpa likes you, and Grandma is just going to have to learn because you're sticking around. You are sticking around, aren't you?"

"Like glue," he replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Does that mean you'll come to dinner without too much complaining?"

"Yes on dinner, maybe on the complaining."

Rory smiled. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

"So, you and Jess are just going in your car?"

"Yep. I got it back today, and I want it to know that I still love it."

"You have an unnatural attachment to inanimate objects."

"I learned it from my mommy."

"That you did. Help me with this zipper, will ya?"

Rory spent a solid minute attempting to zip up her mother's dress before she said, "Uh, Mom, I don't think this is going to work."

"What? How? Why?"

"Mom…you're pregnant. Pretty sure you gain weight when you're pregnant."

"But I just bought this dress."

"It'll fit again when you're not pregnant."

"But what if it's not in style by then?"

"Then you'll just have to give it to me."

"It won't be in style for you either."

"It'll be retro."

"After nine months?"

"Just change your clothes."

"Hey! Don't be so mean to the pregnant woman!"

Rory turned her head at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She ran downstairs and grabbed it just before it went to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Who the hell is this?"

"Um, it's Rory Gilmore. Is this Matt? Are you having trouble getting a hold of Jess?"

"Rory Gilmore? I meant to call Rory Fitzgerald. He's the…printer! That's what he is!"

"Matt, are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm drunk."

"Okay…"

"Read that article you wrote."

"Really?" Rory asked, unsure how to get out of a conversation with a drunk-dialer.

"I don't think you love him as much as he loves you."

Rory sank onto the end of her bed. "What-who are you talking about?"

"You and Jess! Who the fuck do you think I'm talking about?"

"Matt, you barely know me. You have no right to—"

"So he was a coward and pissed-off to California! That didn't keep you from going to Yale. That didn't keep you from living your life. It didn't break your heart."

"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Rory said, tears stinging her eyes.

"I know Jess! And I know that you did a major number on him. He shut down and he'd have these one-night-stands, but his eyes were just dead. He was just dead inside for a whole fucking year. He was starting to come out of it and then you reappeared and he's so fucking in love with you he just took you back. You don't deserve him. You're just a heartless bi—"

"Matt! Stop!" That was Kat's voice. "Oh my God! Who is this?"

"It's-it's-Rory…uh…Gilmore," she replied, quickly wiping away the droplets running down her cheeks.

"God, I wish you were Rory Fitzgerald. He _is_ a heartless bitch," Kat explained. "Matt just had a major throw-down with his brother and it's complicated and he mixed Jack and Patron and that's never a good thing and don't listen to anything he said, Rory. He's just full of shit when he's like this. I am so, so, so, so sorry. And Matt will apologize when he sobers up too."

"It's okay. It's fine. Really," Rory assured her.

"Oh my God! It doesn't fit anymore!" Lorelai yelled, appearing in Rory's doorway wearing her wedding dress.

"Sorry, Kat, I have to go," Rory said quickly before hanging up her phone. "That's not what I meant when I said you should change your clothes."

"Yeah, but it was there and I thought if that dress wasn't fitting this one might not either and-and have you been crying? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rory lied. "Mom, we're going to be late."

"But this is a crisis. I'm getting married in a week and my dress doesn't fit! I've been here before, missy! Except I was coming out and I was pregnant with you, but the dress was still white!"

"Mom!"

"Hey, Lorelai! What's going on? You were supposed to meet us ten minutes ago. Why are you in your wedding dress?"

"It doesn't fit and it's all your fault!" Lorelai yelled before running past him and stomping up the stairs, clutching her dress to her chest.

"Lorelai! Lorelai!" Luke called, running after her.

Jess looked at Rory as she came out of her room and said, "What is going on?"

"The dress Mom was wearing to dinner tonight didn't fit and she apparently decided to try on her wedding dress and now she's gone all hormonal and she's freaking out and I have call my grandparents," Rory answered, obviously frustrated.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, lightly touching her arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just have to call my grandparents," she said glumly as she picked up the receiver and took it to her room and shut the door.

Jess started to follow her when Luke came down the stairs frantic. "She won't come out of her room. She's crying and she keeps telling me to go away, but if I go away, she'll think I'm abandoning her, but I don't know what to say. What do you say to a pregnant woman when she won't fit into her wedding dress?"

"I don't know, Luke."

"Who would?"

"I don't know, Luke."

"Liz! I could go get my sister!" One look at Jess' cocked eyebrow had Luke shaking his head. "No, she'd probably make it worse. Sookie! She'll know what to do. Where the hell is Rory?"

"She's in her room calling her grandparents."

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, God! I gotta get Sookie in a hurry," he said before rushing out the door leaving Jess alone in the entry hall.

He stood there feeling like an idiot for a minute before Rory reappeared, slamming the receiver down on the cradle.

"They'll be here in half an hour. I couldn't talk them out of it. Damn it! Where the hell is Luke?"

Jess flinched at her angry tone and replied, "He couldn't get your mom to come out of her room, so he went to get Sookie."

"I'll go talk to her," Rory said, her voice laced with anger.

"Rory, are you okay?" Jess asked, gently grabbing her elbow.

"I'm fine! This is just…stupid and ridiculous," she answered, shaking off his hand.

"Can I do something?"

"No! There's nothing you can do!" she very nearly yelled at him.

Jess shook his head and said, "Have I done something?"

"No, you haven't done anything! Why do you think it's always about you? You're so goddamned selfish!"

Jess just stared after her as she ran up the stairs.

* * *

"Mom, please come out. This is so immature. You're forty."

"Stop saying horrible things like that!" Lorelai called back through the closed door.

"Stop saying what? The truth? Mom, you can fix the dress. You have a whole week."

"What if he bails on me like I did with Max? What if it all goes wrong?"

"Oh my God! Mom, open the door!"

Rory heard the door unlock and she quickly went inside the room. Lorelai was hugging her knees to her chest. The back of her dress was open and her bare feet stuck out from beneath the white and cream material. Rory sat down next to her.

"Mom, this is just crazy."

"No, it's not, Rory. I'm pregnant again and…your dad didn't stick around for me and you."

"That's not fair, Mom. Dad asked you to marry him."

"The Gilmores and the Haydens wanted him to marry me. It's not the same."

"Exactly. It's not the same. Luke loves you. He wants to be with you. He's always wanted to be with you. You were getting married _before_ you found out you were pregnant. Mom, you're just acting crazy right now."

"Why does he even want me? I've been so horrible, especially to him. I broke his heart so many times."

"He broke your heart too, Mom. I think heartbreak is just part of the deal with the sort of love that can last forever," Rory said as tears started stinging her eyes. "Oh my God! I'm such an asshole!"

"What?" Lorelai asked, turning around and facing her daughter. "Honey, what do you mean?"

"I just called Jess a selfish bastard because one of his friends drunk-dialed me and told me I was a heartless bitch and I took it out on him because he had to say _something_ to them at some point to give them that idea, didn't he?"

"I don't know. I don't know, sweetie. Why are we acting so stupid?"

"I don't know, Mom! That's why I'm asking you!" Rory sobbed.

"Oh my gosh! Sweeties, what's happened?" Sookie asked, rushing into the room and joining them on the bed.

* * *

"Where the hell did you go?"

"Brought some food," Jess answered, setting the box from Luke's down on the kitchen. "I figured they'd want to eat when they stop freaking out."

"Are you okay?"

"Nope."

"You wanna tell me about it?"

"Nope."

"Okay."

They stood there awkwardly until the front door opened and Emily appeared babbling about the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Great," the men in the house grumbled in unison.

"Grandma, Grandpa, you're here."

"What is going on? Rory, have you been crying? Why have you been crying?"

Luke glanced at Jess and said, "Why has she been crying?"

"Ask her," Jess replied bitterly before walking out the kitchen door.

"I just…I got emotional with Mom, and she has something really important to tell you and did you break the sound barrier getting here and where did that food come from?"

"Jess," Luke replied shortly.

"Where—"

Luke pointed at the kitchen door and ran out onto the porch.

"Where is she going? Luke, what is going on in this house? I demand an explanation."

"Emily, calm down."

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" Lorelai asked, appearing in the stairwell with Sookie behind her.

"Rory called us. She was concerned, but she has apparently gotten over it as she just ran out of here after that little hoodlum she's with."

"Oh boy," Luke muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Mom, leave her alone."

"What is going on here, Lorelai? You're in your wedding dress, we're supposed to be having dinner, and Rory just ran after that little thug."

"Don't talk about him like that," Luke said angrily.

"Don't take that tone with me."

"Lay off him, Mom! He's the father of your next grandchild, so just give him a break already!"

Sookie had to jump out of the way to avoid the daughter in a wedding dress and the irritated mother calling her child's name. The chef waved slightly and said, "Hey, Mr. Gilmore."

"Sookie," Richard said, nodding politely. "So, is it safe to assume my daughter is pregnant?"

"Yeah, that would be safe to assume," Luke replied, nodding uncomfortably.

"Then I suppose congratulations are in order," Richard said happily. "Is that roast beef I smell?"

* * *

"Jess!"

"What?" he asked, turning around angrily.

"I'm sorry," she said, shivering from the cold.

He shook his head as he shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. "So, did it finally occur to you that I'm not a selfish bastard?"

"Jess, I am _so_ sorry. You didn't deserve that. At least, I don't think you did."

"You don't think?" he asked incredulously. "Rory, what the hell could I have done in the last twenty-four hours? And don't you dare tell me I'm selfish because I want to know why you're hurting."

Rory took a deep breath and clutched Jess' jacket tighter to her body. "Do you think I'm heartless?"

"What?" he asked, genuinely shocked.

"I hurt you. I know I did. What I did to you three years ago was terrible, but do you really think you never hurt me?"

"What? No! Rory, I know that I've hurt you."

"Then why do they think I'm so evil? Why do they think I don't deserve to be with you?"

"They? Who's they?"

"Matt!" she yelled. "He drunk-dialed me and he told me how I screwed up your life and that you couldn't have possibly done to me what I did to you."

"Jeez, Rory, he was drunk! He's a drama queen. Just ignore him."

"He had to get that idea from somewhere," she retorted.

"Don't do this, Rory. Don't make me say it."

"Where did he get the idea, Jess?" she asked, her knuckles turning white as she clutched the coat to her body. "What did you say to them?"

"I don't know, okay? I was drunk and angry. I do know how I felt at the time, and I felt like I'd wasted my entire fucking life. You were the only person I ever loved and you _never_ loved me!"

"That's not true."

"It was then!" he yelled back. "The closest I ever got was you telling me you _may_ have loved me. Yeah, that was me on the phone. And then, you show up in Philadelphia, you kiss me, and then you tell me you love the son of a bitch that cheated on you! It sure as hell looked like I didn't hurt you like everyone in this whole fucking town thought I was going to."

Rory bit her lip in an unsuccessful attempt to hold back her tears. "I-I don't say 'I love you' easily," she said quietly.

"I know that. I do," he said, taking a step closer to her.

"I-he-it just-it hurt because you left me. _You_ left _me_!" she screamed, tears streaming freely down her face. "I didn't get to find out whether I loved you, or not…until now. And I love you. I really do. You have to believe me."

"Jesus Christ, Rory! I do believe you," he assured her, holding her face in both of his hands. "I trust you. I _love _you. I'm sure I said some horrible things to the guys, but it was a long time ago, and…Matt's an idiot, and he probably won't have a face the next time you see him."

Rory laughed through her tears as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't hurt him too bad. Kat might retaliate, and I like your face just the way it is."

Jess smirked and hugged her close as he kissed the top of her head. "Have we done it all, now? Have we said everything we have to say?"

"God, I hope so," she replied, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I hate this."

"So do I," he agreed, kissing her cheek. "Come on. Can't have your grandmother hating me more because you froze to death."

* * *

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, you will explain yourself right now."

"God, Mom! Don't three-name me. As I've recently been reminded, I'm forty."

"Well, you're acting like you're four."

"Mom, please."

"Are you pregnant, or not?"

"Yes, Mom, I'm pregnant."

"And how long have you kept this from us?"

"A couple of weeks," Lorelai answered, sinking down on the bed.

"So that's why you've been skipping dinners and avoiding my calls," Emily said, sighing. "Why couldn't you just tell us? What did you think we were going to do?"

"I just didn't want to _listen _to you."

"You never listen to us."

"I don't always do what you say, but that doesn't mean I don't hear you. It doesn't mean it never has any effect on me," Lorelai explained, wiping away her tears. "I know you don't think Luke is the sort of person I should spend my life with, and you were so pissed about Rory and Jess, and-and…"

"Lorelai," Emily cut her off, "why did you try on your wedding dress?"

"I don't know," she answered, smiling and shrugging slightly.

Emily smiled kindly at her and brushed her long, chestnut hair from her shoulders. "I do," she told her. "I do."

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. I enjoyed writing it. Lorelai's bachelorette party and maybe even the wedding will be in the next chapter. As a mostly unrelated side note: Peter Petrelli might just be the world's biggest idiot...just had to get that off my chest.


	19. Chapter 19: See you next

Lorelai stirred as the body next to her shifted. She rolled over to find Luke smiling though his eyes were closed. She kissed him lightly and said, "Did Cesar open up this morning?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I figured dinner with the Gilmores would result in a late night. Didn't figure they'd be having dinner in _our_ house with Sookie making her magic risotto. You think Rory and Jess are together now? I mean, didn't they use the 'kid code' to sneak out and meet up later?"

"Kid code? Seriously, Luke, they're twenty-four. They're hardly kids anymore, but, yes, they were totally using the kid code," she replied, resting her head on his chest. "I think they had some making up to do. Do you know what they got into a fight over?"

"Not a clue," he answered. "We're staying out of it, remember?"

"But I want to _know_."

"Of course you do," Luke said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay with me being crazy?" she asked seriously.

"I wouldn't have you any other way," he grumbled, his eyes closed.

Lorelai smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you, too."

* * *

"Come back here," Jess said, pulling Rory back under the warm stream of water and pressing his body against hers.

Rory moaned into his mouth as her feet lifted off the floor of the shower. She squealed as the water turned icy on her back. She quickly pushed him away and shoved the shower curtain aside.

"We've run out of hot water. How long have we been in here?" Rory asked, wrapping a towel around herself.

"Like I know," he replied, shutting off the water.

Rory bit her lip and looked away, her cheeks flushing. Jess smirked at her as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"What?" he asked, running his hands through his hair.

"You, um, look…good," she replied shyly.

"Okay," he said, laughing. "Why are you so embarrassed?"

"I just…I never really looked at you before, without your clothes on, anyway," she answered, her eyes refusing to meet his.

He kissed her jaw just beneath her ear and rested his hands on her hips. "You should look more often," he whispered. "I like this shade of red on you."

"No, no, you can't do this," she said, clutching her towel tighter to her body and pushing him away. "You keep doing that, and we'll have to take another shower, and there's no hot water, and we wouldn't _actually_ get to showering anyway, and we'll never get clean, and we'll just die smelling like citizens of the sixteenth century. So, you just go over there, and I'll go that way."

Jess laughed and unabashedly leered at her as she scrambled into the apartment.

"Hey," Lane greeted her best friend as she walked out from behind the curtain and took a seat at the counter.

"Good morning," Rory replied happily as Lane poured her a cup of coffee.

"So," Lane began quietly, "how was the make-up sex?"

"Huh?"

"The make-up sex. How was it?"

"Why-what-how-huh?" Rory stammered.

Lane laughed and said, "You two were screaming at each other in the street. It'll probably be in today's _Gazette_."

Rory rolled her eyes. "This is the downside to being in a small town."

"You never answered my question," Lane reminded her.

Rory smiled devilishly. "Which time do you want to know about: the floor, the shower, or the three times in between?"

"Oh, wow, you just turned into Lorelai Gilmore," Lane laughed.

"I _am_ Lorelai Gilmore."

"I meant—"

"I know," Rory interrupted. "I have her name. It was bound to happen eventually."

"You two certainly love your diner guys."

"Well, a man handling a coffee pot i_s_ extremely sexy."

"You would think that," Lane said, rolling her eyes slightly. "What'll you have for breakfast?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup, eggs, bacon, and toast."

"Do you know if Jess wants anything?"

"He had toast and orange juice, so he's good."

"That's all he had? How does he live?"

"Oh, believe me, he has amazing stamina."

"Okay, I'm going to leave before I get details I don't need," Lane said before turning toward the kitchen and grabbing the coffee pot.

Rory smiled while sipping her coffee. The bell tinkled and Lorelai appeared, a happy glow following her.

"My little daughter!"

"My little mother and extra little sibling!"

"Smooth move sneaking out of the house last night," Lorelai said, sitting down next to her eldest.

"I figured Grandma and Grandpa didn't need to know we're sleeping together," Rory replied. "They don't respond well to that sort of thing and Jess has already won over one of them. No need to undo all that progress."

"So…how was the make-up sex?"

"Mom!"

Lorelai giggled impishly. "What were you actually fighting about? I wasn't really paying attention when you were explaining it."

"Gee, thanks."

"I was having my own issues, which reminds me: where's my coffee?" Lorelai called out.

"Here you go," Lane said, quickly setting a cup down in front of the older woman.

Lorelai turned her nose up at it and said, "This is decaf. Lane, don't you love me anymore?"

"Of course I do, Lorelai, but I have to keep my job to feed all my boys."

"But Luke will never know. He's not here."

"Yes, he is," a gruff voice said from behind them.

"Drat," Lorelai muttered.

"Where were you?" Rory asked.

"I was helping Morey and Babette get unstuck."

"Dirty, right?"

"Ew! Gross!"

"I agree," Luke grimaced. "You order already, Rory?"

"Yes, and it's up," Lane answered, delivering the plate and refilling Rory's cup.

"Chocolate-chocolate pancakes. Nice," Lorelai commented. "I want that."

"No."

"How about…jack omelet, bacon, and hash browns?"

"How about spinach omelet, turkey bacon, and wheat toast?"

"Do I look like Popeye to you?"

"Lorelai!"

"Luke!"

Rory giggled and shook her head as their argument continued.

* * *

Jess tapped his pen against a blank sheet of paper in his half-full notebook. He knew he shouldn't start something new before revising his manuscript, but his head and his heart were bursting with ideas. He always thought misery was a necessary component to good literature. Enough writers and artists ended their lives and careers in utter despair. He'd basically been miserable when he wrote _The Subsect_, and Rory at least liked it. But Jess wasn't miserable, and he was fairly sure nothing could make him so.

He jumped slightly when his phone started ringing. He groaned when he saw the caller I.D. It didn't make him miserable. It just pissed him off.

"What do you want?"

"Look, I'm really sorry, man," Matt said, his voice sad and scratchy.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it here, Matthew," Jess told him. "You told my girlfriend she didn't deserve to be with me and called her a heartless bitch."

"Actually, I never got to the itch part."

"Matthew."

"Sorry," he replied quickly. "Look, I'm the one who found you and told you to move in with us and help us run our business. I feel responsible for you, man. I like Rory, really, I do, but…she hurt you. She nearly destroyed you. You don't deserve that."

Jess shook his head even though Matt couldn't see him. "That's not your call, no matter how much you feel responsible for me."

"I know. Kat explained that to me quite loudly and in no uncertain terms."

"Good for her."

"Can I talk to her? I really need to apologize."

Jess sighed and said, "Fine. Hold on a sec."

He slipped on his shoes so Luke wouldn't have a coronary and walked downstairs to find Rory sitting behind an empty plate watching Luke and Lorelai argue about her breakfast. Rory smiled when she saw him.

He kissed her quickly and said, "Matt wants to talk to you," as he held the phone out to her.

"Not in here, Rory," Luke said, motioning toward his sign.

Rory rolled her eyes and headed for the stairs as Lane called Jess over to help her. When Rory was safely inside the apartment, she held the phone up to her ear and said, "Hello."

"Hey, Rory, it's Matt."

"Hi," she said coldly.

"Look, Jess told me that sorry wasn't good enough, but it's all I've got," he began. "This isn't an excuse, but…my brother was nineteen when our parents died. I was ten and he shouldered his responsibilities and finished raising me. He…really hated it when I didn't become a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer. We haven't gotten along since then, and…family gets under your skin, you know? And Jess…I think of him as a brother. He probably thinks of me as an annoyance, but anyway…I care. It just came out in a terrible, terrible way, but don't worry. Kat's promised to remove any and all electronic devices from me when I'm near any alcohol. And, by the way, clear your calendar for May 9th."

Rory shook her head at Matt's ability to change the subject on a dime. "What's happening on May 9th?"

"I'm getting married…to Kat."

"I know who you're marrying, Matt."

"Oh, well, it's good someone knows. Later, Rory."

"Bye, Matt."

She clicked the phone shut and walked back down to the diner. She slipped the phone into his back pocket as he poured coffee for an elderly couple in the corner of the diner.

"Jeez! Don't do that!" he hissed at her.

"Oh, young love is so wonderful," the old woman commented.

"Thanks," Jess muttered before turning toward Rory's grinning face. "What?" he asked her.

"You have a Lane," she told him.

"Huh?"

"You have a Lane," she repeated.

"He has a what?" Lane asked, walking by.

"He has a you."

"You know a guy name Yu?"

"No," Jess answered, looking confusedly between the two women.

"No, he has a friend _like_ you," Rory explained.

"Oh. You're very lucky, Jess," Lane told him before picking up another order from the pass-through.

Jess cocked an eyebrow at Rory and said, "So, you think Matt is my Lane?"

"Uh-huh. Him telling me I don't deserve you is his version of Lane chewing you out for getting a car after you totaled mine."

"You're forgetting one thing: Lane's your best friend, Matt's just a pain in my ass."

"He cares, Jess. Trust me. I know these things."

"Make sure you get that application in to the people at Delphi," he said sarcastically before kissing her.

They broke apart at the sound of Jess' phone ringing.

"Damn it," he growled.

"Jess!" Luke warned.

"I know!" he yelled back.

"I'll take this," Rory said, slipping the coffee pot out of his hand.

"Thank you," he replied before kissing her quickly and jogging up the stairs.

Rory's smile grew wider as she watched him go.

* * *

"She is doing it again," Michel complained as he walked into the kitchen at the Dragonfly.

"Who's doing what again?" Sookie asked, looking up from the celery she was chopping.

"Lorelai. She is weeping openly in the lobby…again."

"Oh, no," Sookie muttered, abandoning her celery and jogging toward the lobby.

Michel exaggerated, as usual. Lorelai wasn't weeping. She _was_ crying silently and brushing away the tears almost as soon as they appeared.

"Lorelai, sweetie, you're crying."

"Oh, it's nothing, Sookie. Just allergies."

"In January?" Sookie asked incredulously.

"Sookie, I'm pregnant. Aren't I allowed to cry for no reason jus a little bit?" Lorelai asked, finally looking up from the computer screen.

"Okay, sweets," Sookie replied reluctantly. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

* * *

"Hey," Jess said, sitting down next to Rory on the floor of Andrew's bookshop.

"Hey. What's wrong?" she asked, looking up from _The Sound and The Fury _at his slightly gloomy expression.

"Am I that easy to read?"

"You are now. What's wrong?"

"I gotta go back to Philly."

"What? Like now?"

"Yeah," he replied solemnly.

"But why?" she whined.

"Chris wants to open the Obama exhibition tomorrow because we're doing a Valentine's thing in a couple of weeks, and the place is a mess, and it's my primary source of income, so…"

"You have to go," Rory agreed, gently squeezing his leg. "I understand. I'm disappointed, but I understand."

"Why are you disappointed? You knew I was leaving in the morning anyway."

"I rented a movie," she explained, digging into her bag. "I was going to get Indian food."

"And then we were going to burn down the diner, right?"

"Oh, shut up," she said as she handed him the DVD.

He laughed lightly and said, "You hate this movie."

"I don't hate it. I just got sick of it. You see, my boyfriend was completely obsessed with this movie."

"Addicted," he corrected.

"That's not better."

"Whatever you say, Gilmore. I'm gonna go say goodbye to Doula and Liz. Meet me at the diner?"

"Sure," Rory replied, nodding.

He kissed her softly, letting it linger before finally pulling away. "I love you," he said, barely above a whisper.

"I love you, too."

* * *

"You got all your stuff?"

"Yes."

"You say goodbye to your mom?"

"Yes."

"And your sister? She loves you, you know?"

"I know, and yes."

"Aren't you Mr. Responsibility?"

"Yes."

"Well, no one ever accused you of having no work ethic."

"I'm sure someone has at some point."

"Should we hug now?"

"I dunno."

"Oh my God! Just hug him already," Lane said, hurrying past them.

They man-hugged awkwardly while Rory shook her head at them. "Oh, come on, you two, there's just too much love in the room," she told them sarcastically.

"Get outta here," Luke grumbled, shoving Jess in Rory's general direction.

The younger couple walked out of the diner hand-in-hand toward Jess' car.

"Say goodbye to your mom for me."

"I will. You understand your part in Mom's bachelorette party, right?"

"Yes, and I'll email you on Monday."

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, or if you're too busy."

"I want to do it, and I will make the time," he promised.

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure," he told her, leaning against his car.

Rory sighed heavily and said, "I hate saying goodbye."

"I'd worry if you loved saying it," he replied, smirking. "I'll see you next Thursday."

Rory chuckled. "That's one of John Landis' trademarks."

"It's 'see you next Wednesday.'"

"No, it's Thursday."

"Wednesday."

"Thursday."

"Wednesday!"

"Thursday!"

"Will you shut up and kiss me so I can leave?"

Rory gasped in mock insult. "Jerk," she said punching him playfully.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her tenderly but firmly. When they parted, he said, "I love you."

"You're okay," she teased.

"Rory!"

"I love you, too," she replied, grinning. "Now, get out of here. Philly needs you."

He kissed her again and said, "Wednesday," before jumping into his car.

"Thursday!" she called after him as he drove away grinning.

* * *

The house seemed quiet when Rory came in and shrugged off her coat and hung it on a peg by the door.

"Mom, are you home?" she called out.

When she got no reply, she made her way into the kitchen and started making a fresh pot of coffee. She looked into her room to find Paul Anka on the foot of her bed, holding a stack of envelopes in his mouth.

"Hey, boy. What've you got there?"

Paul Anka just leapt off the bed and ran toward the stairs.

"Paul Anka! Paul Anka, what are you doing?" she called as she ran after him.

She followed him to her mom's room where she was surprised to find the light on and Lorelai sitting on the bed, cutting her wedding dress, and crying silently.

"Not more, Paul Anka," she said, taking the envelopes from his mouth. "You really need to stop bringing me Rory's mail."

"Mom?"

"Oh, hey, sweets," Lorelai said, quickly wiping her tears. "I didn't hear you come in. Paul Anka keeps bringing me your mail. They're all from major newspapers. I guess they know you're going to be available in a week."

"I don't really care about that right now," Rory said, joining her mother on the bed. "What I'm really worried about is why you're up in your room crying and cutting up your wedding dress."

"I'm _altering_ the wedding dress, hon, nothing to worry about," Lorelai assured her. "You know, your grandmother came up with the idea to separate the bodice from the skirt and add the cream sash to hide the seam. She had a great idea and she wasn't even condescending about it."

"Okay…so, the crying?"

"I don't entirely understand it either," Lorelai admitted. "I didn't cry this much when I was pregnant with you, but I was a teenager and my hormones were raging anyway and maybe being pregnant balanced me out, but now I'm older and pregnant and my hormones must just be making me crazy."

"More than normal?"

"Hey!"

"Just restating the general consensus," Rory said, her hands raised in surrender. "Did something set you off, or something?"

"That was a lovely sentence from a professional writer."

"Mom."

"I don't know exactly, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with you looking at Jess like the sun rises and sets with him," Lorelai explained, setting aside her dress.

"That's—I—what—when—I do _not_ do that," Rory finally concluded.

Lorelai smiled, brushing away a few errant tears. "You did today when he got that phone call."

"He'd just given me a coffee pot. How was I supposed to look at him?" Rory excused.

"Rory, honey, I've never seen you look at anyone like that," Lorelai told her. "You came close with Logan, but then only for a very short space of time, and you never looked that way at Dean, or Jess the first time, but now…"

"Why is that a bad thing?"

"It's not! It's not, sweetie," Lorelai assured her. "But…you're going to be with him for a very long time if not forever and you're going to leave me. I'm losing you."

"Mom, no, you're not."

"I love you so much, Rory."

"I know you do, Mom."

"You're my best friend and I love you more than anything," Lorelai said, tears streaming freely down her face. "What if I can't love this baby like I love you? What if I can't keep loving Luke? What if I fail them like I failed you?"

"Mom, you've never failed me."

"I let you drop out of Yale."

"Mom, that was years ago."

"I should have done something. I should have stopped it. I should have been a better mother!"

"Mom, stop it!" Rory demanded, shaking her mother's shoulders. "You are an amazing woman. If there were one woman in the entire world I could choose to be like it would be you. You love Luke. You will always love him because he's one of the few people in your life that has always been there for you, and you've always been there for him. And you didn't fail me, Mom. You tried so hard to get me to go back to school, but I'm glad you didn't. It gave me some perspective on Grandma and Grandpa, and if you had managed to get me to go back, I would have never known how much Jess really cared, and there's no way we would be where we are now, and, no, your relationship with this baby will be different than the one you have with me, but that's because you won't be alone and roughing it in the tool shed behind an inn. That doesn't mean you'll love him or her any less. You are a _great_ mom. The best, in fact. And if you ever cry over this stuff again, I'll…well, I won't kick your ass, but I'll do something very painful, but not permanently damaging."

Lorelai smiled through her tears as she drew her daughter into a tight hug. "I love you, kid."

"I love you, too, Mom," Rory replied. "Now, this can wait. Let's go have a real movie night. We'll have a John Landis marathon."

"They don't have _Animal House_ at the video store anymore. Someone broke the DVD," Lorelai told her. "I know! Let's have an Alan Tudyk marathon!"

"You just want to do that because you think his name is dirty."

"But it is," Lorelai insisted. "Tudyk, Tudyk, Tudyk!"

"Okay, I'm going to the video store to get _A Knight's Tale_ and _Death At a Funeral_ and that space movie about that TV show that got cancelled. What was it called?"

"_Serenity_ and we already have it."

"We do?"

"Luke."

"Ah. I'll be right back, Mom. I've already started the coffee. You make popcorn, and I'll pick up candy. And you better not be crying when I get back."

"Scout's honor," Lorelai promised, holding up two fingers.

* * *

"I hate Mondays," Mike moaned, trudging into the kitchen.

"Told you not to drink so much last night," Jess said, handing him a cup of coffee.

"Do you have to shout?"

Jess rolled his eyes and walked toward the back of the apartment and banged on Chris' door.

"You're the Devil!" Chris shouted back.

Jess smirked as he walked back into his room to get dressed. His phone started ringing just as he pulled his shirt over his head. He smirked at the caller I.D. and said, "You're up early."

"Well, I'm going with Mom to the doctor this morning, so I had to get up," Rory explained. "You sound chipper. Did you guys not have alcohol at your party?"

"Oh, we had a keg."

"Very classy."

"Well, Obama is on the side of the working man."

"Was that your reasoning?"

"Uh, no, we forgot the booze and a keg was all we could afford," Jess answered. "We ran out after two hours."

"And you're not hung over?"

"I don't think I finished my one beer. I'm saving my intoxication for Saturday."

"You're not getting too drunk Saturday, mister. I have plans for you."

"What? Are you planning on ravishing me mercilessly?"

"No, I'm going to deflate your giant ego."

"After you've done such a fantastic job of building it up?"

"You're a terrible person, Mariano."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I miss you," she said after a long pause. "I miss you like the sun misses the flower."

"_A Knight's Tale_?"

"Yep. Mom and I had an Alan Tudyk marathon the other night."

"Huh."

"I have to go."

"I love you."

"Love you, too, and, uh, you were right. It was Wednesday."

The call disconnected and Jess smirked as he said, "Told you so."

* * *

A/N: I liked this chapter because it was very cute and I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Review now!


	20. Chapter 20: Stuff you gotta do

A/N: I don't like this chapter. I don't think it's my best work but I kind of wrote myself into a hole, but things should improve after this chapter b/c I've already started writing and I like it a lot better. I'm also writing under emotional stress b/c Heroes might get cancelled. :-(( Mondays, 9/8 central people!

* * *

"Mom, are you gonna be okay?"

"I'll let you know if I get there," Lorelai answered, staring at the space in front of her.

"Hey, guys, you going to Luke's?" Lane asked, joining them on the sidewalk.

"I dunno," Rory answered, looking uncertainly at her mother. "Are you up to going to Luke's, Mom?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Lorelai answered, still zoned out.

"Okay, what's going on with your mom?" Lane asked quietly.

"Well…we just got back from her appointment with her OB-GYN," Rory began.

"Oh my God, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I mean, nothing's wrong per se, but she was measuring and looking stuff up and she decided to do a sonogram and it's not totally definitive, but the doctor seems to think Mom is either having twins, or she's giving birth to the next Chunk, though she didn't specifically say the Chunk thing."

Lane blinked as she processed. "Oh. My. God."

"I think Mom is still working up to that reaction," Rory said. "You know, I told her a long time ago she was secretly in love with Luke and wanted to have his twins, but she didn't listen to me."

"I heard that!"

"Although she has apparently inherited her mother's hearing."

"Heard that, too!"

"This is…woah. Just…woah," Lane said.

"I know," Rory agreed as they followed Lorelai into the diner.

"Hey, guys, sit anywhere," Luke told them after a quick glance in their direction. "Except for you. You work here."

"I know that, Luke," Lane replied, tying on her apron.

Lorelai and Rory sat down at an empty table without a word. Rory bit her lip and stared at her mother in concern. Luke delivered his plates to a nearby table and walked quickly over to them.

"Lorelai, are you okay?" he asked, the worry evident in his voice. "You didn't ask anybody to move. You didn't say anything. You just came from the doctor. Is everything all right? Is the baby okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Lorelai answered numbly.

"Mom?" Rory prodded.

"How am I supposed to tell him?"

"I don't know!"

"Him is right here," Luke reminded them. "What are you supposed to tell me?"

"I don't have premonitious dreams, not real ones anyway."

"Premonitious isn't a word."

"How would you know?"

"I'm a professional writer dating a professional writer. I know these things."

"Know-it-all!"

"Chicken!"

"Hey!" Luke interrupted. "What the hell is going on? What premonitious dream are you talking about?"

Lorelai looked up at him sheepishly. "I told you about it. You remember, the night you let me stay with you after the fire at the Independence? You know, the alarm clocks?"

"Yeah, I remember," he said before his face went completely blank. "Wait a minute, you're not—you—we—you are—oh my God!"

Luke ran up the stairs like a man running away from a guy in a hockey mask with a chainsaw. Lorelai looked at her daughter wide-eyed.

"Should I follow him?" she asked.

"Duh!" Rory replied.

Lorelai quick-stepped after her fiancé while Rory shook her head. Lane looked at her and said, "That went well."

"Oh, yeah, it was awesome," Rory agreed sarcastically.

* * *

Rory smiled as she finished reading the sketch Jess had written for her mother's bachelorette party. She'd listened to Luke and Lorelai yell for most of the evening. They weren't angry or arguing, they were just bursting with ideas. Luke's were mostly about bedroom furniture. Lorelai was mostly coming up with names. The frontrunners so far were Milo and Otis. Luke thought Lorelai was insane, but that wasn't new.

She closed her laptop and reached for her cell phone on the nightstand. She hit the second number on her speed dial and waited as it rang.

"Hey," came the reply.

"Oh, no," Rory said, rolling her eyes. "I'm turning into one of those girls that gets butterflies at the sound of her boyfriend's voice, even if it does only come in monosyllables."

"Oh, really?"

She could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "Don't let your head get too big, mister."

"That'd be impossible right now. I'm working on my first revision and feeling very small," he explained with a sigh.

"Poor baby."

"Yeah, and if Chris wasn't bad enough, _you_ are a very harsh critic," he told her.

"I was an editor of a college newspaper, remember?"

"'Journalism is literature in a hurry,' remember?"

"Matthew Arnold does not know everything."

"Actually, he doesn't know anything. He's been dead for over a hundred years."

"Jess! Stop being an ass!"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, laughing.

"Changing the subject: how do you feel about Milo and Otis?"

"It was entertaining when I was seven."

"Not the movie, the names themselves."

"Works for animals. A little weird for people."

"Well, that's what Mom currently wants to name her twins."

"What twins?"

"The twins she's having with Luke."

"Jeez, is there something in the water in that place?"

"Hope not. As my mother so delicately informed me, we _were_ going at it like bunnies last week."

"Ah, we have to make up for all the times we have to wake up alone."

"So, you just have sex with me out of a sense of obligation?"

"Oh, sure. I can get all the unobligated sex I want right here in Philly."

"Yeah, but only from women named Adrian."

"Low blow, Gilmore."

"You had it coming, Mariano."

"I miss waking up with you, Rory," he said after a pause.

Rory smiled shyly. "Was that painful to say?"

"Yeah, I'm bleeding."

"I miss waking up with you, too…but there is a lot more room for me to _actually_ sleep."

"Gee, I feel so loved."

"You are loved, Jess, really."

"I love you, too, Rory."

"Goodnight."

"Night, Rory."

She replaced the phone and thumbed through the stack of envelopes on the nightstand. She sighed heavily before settling down in her bed and shutting off the light.

* * *

"God, why, why did I tell her she could come today?"

"Temporary insanity?" Rory suggested.

"I doubt that would hold up in a court of law."

"Or in the court of Emily Gilmore."

"I really didn't think Luke was going to go crazy, too," Lorelai said, plopping down in the armchair in the guest bedroom where they were hiding.

"Luke is trying to find out how well the house is built so it doesn't fall down on top of his wife and kids," Rory explained. "He's just being Luke."

"This house has been standing for ten years. I think it'll be okay."

"What do you actually think of this house?" Rory asked, sitting down on the trunk at the foot of the bed. "You weren't very enthusiastic about the other four we've seen today."

"I don't know," Lorelai said, glancing around the room. "There's a lot of land, which makes Luke happy, and the outside is really pretty. The inside looks like my mom's evil twin decorated it."

"It's a little gaudy," Rory agreed, "but that can be easily fixed."

"True, and this is the first house with enough bedrooms for everybody, if the twins share. Oh my God, what if they're not the same sex?"

"That's what the fourth bedroom is for."

"But where will you stay when you're in town? I want you where I can keep my eye on you."

"Wow. You are _so_ trusting."

"Well, you are under the influence of that terrible hoodlum."

"Mom, he's not a terrible hoodlum anymore."

"I know. He just looks like one. Ooo! I know, the basement is unfinished. We could turn it into an apartment, and that way when you and Jess are having sex, Luke won't have to be uncomfortable because he can hear you."

"Oh, jeez."

"So…have you thought about all those letters you got the other day?"

"Yeah, they're just offers for interviews, but they're from all over the country, and I really want to talk to Jess about it, and it's not really a phone-type conversation," Rory explained.

"I understand, kiddo, but you _are _going to have a conversation with him aren't you?"

"Of course, Mom."

"And you're not going to ignore all the amazing job offers from all over the country just because you'll be farther away from Jess, are you?"

"And if I do, that's _my_ choice," Rory replied, annoyance creeping into her voice.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Lorelai said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I just want what's best for you, kid."

"I know, but did you ever think that maybe I want what's best for me, too, and so does Jess?"

"I guess," Lorelai replied glumly. "I just feel like I should still be the one that's always got your back."

"Oh, Mom," Rory began, sitting on the arm of the chair, "I'll always want you on my side…just don't be so bossy about it."

"Me? Bossy? No!"

Rory giggled and hugged her mother.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Oh, hey, Mom," Lorelai said, seeing her mother in the doorway. "We were just…enjoying the décor.

"Are you serious? This house is completelyover designed."

"Told you. Evil twin," Lorelai said to Rory.

"What?"

"Nothing," Lorelai quickly excused.

"Well, I think this house would be perfect for you," Emily announced. "There are plenty of rooms, new appliances in the kitchen, the exterior is well-maintained, you're only a quarter of an hour from both Hartford _and_ Stars Hollow, so your children will have plenty of choices when it comes to school. The interior design flaws can easily be overcome."

"Duly noted, Mom."

"Hey," Luke said, appearing behind Emily, "I just talked to Tom and he's going to do a walk-through tomorrow, but this place is the best constructed of any we've seen today, but, you know, we still have time if you want to keep looking."

"Let's make them an offer they can't refuse," Lorelai answered quickly.

"You sure?" Luke asked. "I mean, we still have time, we could—"

"Lorelai, this is highly irregular for this sort of thing, even for you."

"I don't want to house hunt anymore. My feet can't take it," she whined. "Impulsive decisions have always worked for me in the past. Why not now?"

"Lorelai, there are more people involved here than just you."

Lorelai looked at her fiancé who smirked in return. "I'll go talk to the realtor."

* * *

"Rory, where are you taking me? It's late, I've worked all day, I'm extremely pregnant, and I'm exhausted. What—"

"Surprise!"

"Oh my God!" Lorelai cried as Rory pulled Miss Patty's door aside. "What-what's all this?"

"Your bachelorette party," Rory explained.

"But I'm pregnant and I can't get drunk," Lorelai complained as everyone herded her inside.

"That's probably a good thing, Mom, now go sit with Grandma. I have to go get ready."

"Get ready for what? Mom's here?"

"Of course I'm here. I didn't miss the first one, did I? What is going on here, anyway?"

"I don't know, Mom. Didn't you hear them yelling 'surprise' when I came in?"

"Lorelai, really," Emily admonished.

"These are for you two, sugars," Babette said, handing them two red, plastic cups.

Emily sniffed the contents of her cup and scowled. "This is fruit punch."

"This is definitely _not_ fruit punch. Trade you," Lorelai said, switching their cups.

"Alright, everyone, take your seats," Miss Patty announced from the front. "We have something _very _special planned for your enjoyment. This has been a labor of love from all of us to our very own Lorelai on the long-awaited occasion of her marriage to our very own Luke. So, without further ado: Lorelai Victoria Gilmore-Hayden-Gilmore-soon-to-be-Danes, this is your life."

Everyone laughed and cried as Lane and Rory and Kirk and Lulu and some of the kids from Miss Patty's acted out the significant events of Lorelai's life. The time she stole her father's Yale diploma brought sentimental tears. Lorelai stiffened and watched her mother out of the corner of her eye when they got to the point when she found out about Rory. Emily's face was implacable. When they got to the scene when Lorelai ran away to Stars Hollow, Emily took a long drink from her plastic cup.

"Careful, Mom, they use Miss Patty's Founder's Day Punch to clean engines," Lorelai warned.

"I don't care," Emily stated flatly.

Rory was in the middle of chasing Kirk around begging for a cup of coffee when Emily suddenly stood up and walked out. Lorelai followed her into the cold.

"Mom! Mom! What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"I'll never understand why you chose this life, Lorelai," Emily explained. "You could have done so much more. You were so bright and gifted."

"I happen to think I'm _still _bright and gifted."

"Lorelai!"

"Mom, stop! What is this all about?"

"This isn't the life I wanted for you. It's difficult to sit there and see it acted out as if it were some sort of sick joke."

"No, you downing that cup of Founder's Day punch was a sick joke."

"Lorelai!"

"Mom! This is _my _party, in _my _town. I want you to be a part of it because you're my mother and I love you, but if, after all these years, you can't deal with the fact that my life hasn't been what you would have liked, then you should just leave."

"I will."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Lorelai sighed ruefully as she shivered against the cold and watched her mother walk away.

"Mom?"

Lorelai turned at the touch of a hand on her shoulder. She cocked an eyebrow at her daughter's outfit of cut-offs, tie-dyed t-shirt, cowboy boots, and trench coat.

"What—"

"It's my first day at Chilton," Rory explained quickly. "What happened with Grandma?"

"She's…just being Emily," Lorelai replied before hugging her daughter tightly. "Thanks for all this, kid."

"You're welcome. You want to come back inside and watch the rest? It's got a killer twist ending."

"You mean I die suddenly?" Lorelai asked, aghast.

"Of course, Mom, that's exactly what I mean."


	21. Chapter 21: Rehearsals for Life

A/N: I would have had this up last night, but I was getting a funky error message, so I'm sitting here using my church's wifi to upload this. Yeah...that's funny. Enjoy.

* * *

The first thing Rory sensed in the morning was the smell of coffee, and it wasn't just any coffee: it was Luke's coffee. She reached out experimentally and her hand landed on a denim-clad thigh. She opened one eye and smiled as she sat up.

"You're here! I didn't think you were coming until this afternoon."

"They guys let me go early, and it's nearly eleven, Rory," he told her. "How crazy was that party last night?"

"It was standard Stars Hollow insanity," she replied, sipping her coffee. "Mom laughed and cried. Miss Patty and Babette got slobbering drunk and ended the night in song. Michel danced. Grandma had a meltdown. Friday night dinners seem like such a small price to pay when I'm looking at spending a vast majority of my week with her."

"You used to live with her."

"But I was young and stupid back then."

"True."

"Hey!"

"You said it!"

"You didn't have to agree so quickly," she told him grumpily. "Mom even invited her house-hunting on Tuesday, although I think she may have been shanghaied into that one. I never got all the details."

"You okay with it?"

"With what?"

"The whole moving thing," Jess replied. "I saw boxes in the living room, so I guess your mom's pretty excited."

"Yeah, she is," Rory said quietly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, moving closer to her.

"It just…it makes me feel even more unsettled and useless," she explained. "I mean, I'm kind of used to it after traveling all over the country for a year and a half, but I knew I always had a home to come to, and when I move away I figured I'd still have that home, but now it won't be the same."

"When you move away?" Jess asked.

Rory sighed and gently pulled him to her until he was sitting next to her on the bed. She handed him the stack of envelopes from the nightstand and explained, "They're not job offers, but they're requests for interviews. There's only one I'm really interested in from the _Daily News_, though I'd rather work for the _Inquirer_, but in this economy I really shouldn't complain, and –"

"Rory, why would you want to work in Philadelphia?" he asked, still looking at the envelopes.

She blinked in shock and backed away from him slightly. "You-you wouldn't want me to work in Philadelphia?" she asked uncertainly.

"No, Rory, I would," he assured her, placing a hand on her arm comfortingly, "but why would you give up the chance to work at the _Boston Globe_ or the _Chicago Tribune_ or the _San Francisco Chronicle_ to work at the _Daily News_?"

Rory's eyes narrowed angrily. "Are you really that thick? God!" she exclaimed, tossing off the covers and stomping into the kitchen.

"Rory, come on!" Jess called, scrambling after her. "Why are you making coffee? I brought you coffee."

"I don't want your stupid coffee. I might end up stupid like you," she said tightly, dumping grounds into a filter.

"Hey! That's not fair," he said, grabbing her arm and making her face him. "I'm not saying I don't want you closer to me. I just…"

"What?" she asked more calmly.

"I'm not like you, Rory," he said, tenderly lacing his fingers with hers. "I just drifted until I landed somewhere, but you've had the same dream since you were two."

"Dreams can change," she said as he rested his forehead against hers. "I want to be with you."

"You will be, no matter where you're working," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But, Jess, your job is in Philadelphia. Your life is in Philadelphia."

"We'll make it work," he promised.

"But—"

"Rory," he interrupted firmly, "we will make it work."

She smiled slightly and said, "Is this your determined face?"

"Yes."

"You really do want what's best for me, don't you?"

"I love you, Rory," he explained simply.

"I love you, too," she said, kissing him softly.

* * *

"Is your hoodlum back already?" Lorelai asked when she saw her daughter walking into the Dragonfly.

"How'd you know?"

"You have that 'my hoodlum is back' face on," Lorelai explained. "So…did you guys get a chance to talk about your job situation, or…?"

"Somebody's feeling awfully nosy."

"I want to _know_. Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Yes, we talked," Rory told her mother.

"And?"

"And?"

"Rory!"

"He wants me to take all the interviews I can," she explained. "He wants me to have the opportunity to get the best job for me, no matter where it is, and he promised no matter what, we would make our relationship work."

"Very mature plan."

"Well, we are adults."

"Don't remind me," Lorelai groaned. "If you're an adult, I'm a senior citizen."

"And what would that make me?"

"Mom?" Lorelai asked, clearly surprised to see Emily Gilmore standing in the entryway. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize."

Rory's eyebrows shot up and Lorelai's chin dropped.

"Huh?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, Lorelai, please. I've apologized before."

"Uh, not often," Lorelai replied.

Emily ignored her and focused on her granddaughter. "Rory, it was clear you put a lot of work into that production. I'm sorry I left prematurely."

"I didn't do it all by myself," Rory explained. "Lane and Miss Patty and Babette and Kirk helped me put it on, and Jess helped me write it."

"He did?" Lorelai and Emily asked in unison.

"He's not the anti-Christ," Rory told them. "Grandma, I hope that's not all you wanted to say."

"I still don't think that production was in very good taste, but I'm sorry I didn't stay for all of it."

"Unbelievable," Lorelai muttered, storming into the kitchen.

"Uh, honey, what's wrong?" Sookie asked, looking up from her sauce.

Lorelai didn't answer. She just poured herself a cup of coffee and promptly spat it back out.

"This is decaf! Why was it in the real coffee pot?"

"Uh, well, I didn't want you to be tempted," Sookie explained as she silently herded her staff out of the kitchen.

"Sookie, you are _not_ my mother! I don't need you to act like you are!"

"Uh…" Sookie began, wringing her hands nervously.

"Lorelai Gilmore, this behavior is completely unacceptable," Emily said, appearing in the kitchen.

"Oh, dear," Sookie muttered before dashing out the swinging door.

Lorelai laughed mirthlessly. "_My_ behavior is unacceptable? What about your behavior, huh, Mom? Rory doesn't care that you walked out on _Saturday Night Live: The Lorelai Gilmore Edition_. You didn't walk out on her. You walked out on me and you come here and you apologize to _Rory_. It was _my_ party, Mom."

"Lorelai—"

"I'm not done yet!" Lorelai nearly yelled. "You always had a knack for making me feel like crap, even before I got pregnant and permanently humiliated you. Maybe I should have gotten therapy years ago, but I couldn't afford it, so I just got over it as best I could. I'm trying here, Mom. I told you about the twins right away, and I asked you to help with the house because I knew you would like that, and you walked out on me. You're never supposed to leave your child, even if they leave you!"

Lorelai dissolved into a fit of tears so severe she could only blame it on the hormones. She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I am very proud of you," Emily said simply.

Lorelai blinked as her mother turned quickly toward the door. Rory, Sookie, and the entire kitchen staff jumped out of the way as the door swung open. Belatedly, Lorelai ran after her mother, causing Rory, Sookie, and the entire kitchen staff to jump again.

"Mom, wait!"

"What is it, Lorelai?" Emily asked, turning around.

Lorelai wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and said, "Thank you."

Emily reluctantly returned her daughter's hug. Lorelai smiled as she let go and wiped away her last remaining tears.

"Mom, would you like to stay for lunch? Sookie can make something special," Lorelai offered.

"Yeah, we can make anything you want. Right, boys…and girl?" Sookie added, suddenly noticing the single female member of her kitchen staff.

"That won't be necessary," Emily assured her. "I'm sure what ever your lunch special is will be perfectly fine."

* * *

Jess hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets as he walked toward the Dragonfly. He could have driven to avoid the cold, but it seemed wasteful to drive five blocks. When he saw what was coming out of the Inn, he really wished he'd driven because he could have at least hidden in his car until she was gone.

"Mrs. Gilmore," he greeted politely with a forced smile.

"Jess?" she asked as if she were unsure of his existence. "You're back already?"

"Yeah, the rehearsal is tonight. I'm the best man," he explained.

"Oh? That makes sense, I suppose. You _are_ his only male relative."

Jess bit his lip to keep from retorting her condescending tone. It wasn't Luke's fault Jess and Liz and April were his only blood relations.

"May I ask you a personal question?"

"Shoot," he replied.

"Why are you back in Rory's life?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why have you come back now, after all these years? Rory's career is in transition and now she has you to contend with."

Jess chuckled humorlessly at the word 'contend' and replied, "I didn't really make a conscious decision to be back in Rory's life until it had already happened, neither of us did."

"Then why are you staying in her life? You proved in the past you don't care enough to stick around when things become difficult."

Her last statement stung like a knife blade across his face. He took a deep breath as his jaw set in anger. "You don't know what you're talking about," he told her, his voice shaking from rage and the cold. "All you know about me is that I don't meet your high and mighty standards. You know nothing about who I was then or who I am now. You don't know a goddamned thing about me because you choose not to. Don't you dare judge me."

He turned around and didn't look back. He sighed when he saw Rory and Lorelai rushing away from one of the front windows. His only relief was the sound of a Jaguar starting up and pulling away from the Inn.

"Hey," he said, forcing a smile as he walked inside to find Rory and Lorelai hanging too-nonchalantly around the reception desk.

"Rudolpho the Red-Nosed Reindeer!" Lorelai greeted him cheerfully.

"Huh?"

"Well, you're not going to pass for a Rudolph looking like the bastard son of Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone."

Jess cocked an eyebrow and looked sideways at Rory. She shook her head and said, "Don't worry. You don't look like you have goggles for eyes and your mouth isn't _that_ crooked."

"Thank you very much," he muttered sarcastically.

"Your nose _is_ really red, though. Are you okay?"

He knew what Rory meant by the question, but he answered, "Yeah, I just need a minute to warm up."

Lorelai watched the interaction with a furrowed brow. "So, uh, Jess, why exactly are you here?"

"Oh, I'm going to Hartford to pick up our tuxes, and Luke wanted me to see if you needed me to get anything while I was there."

"Uh-huh, and the phone doesn't work?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

Jess looked sheepishly down at his shoes.

"Awww! You just wanted to see your _girlfriend_," she teased.

"You need anything or not?" he asked, surliness creeping into his voice.

"Um, let's see," Lorelai began, keeping her tone light, "a free pass to Sephora-land, a hundred pairs of Jimmy Choos—"

"Cutting back, are we?" Rory asked sarcastically.

"Being fiscally responsible," Lorelai explained quickly, "and I'd also like a boar's head."

"You want the Vikings to go with that last thing?" Jess asked.

"The guys from those credit card commercials if you can swing it," Lorelai answered, pulling a receipt out from one of the drawers in the desk and handing it to him. "You can pick up the place cards for the reception. They should be ready today."

He nodded silently and placed the receipt in his jacket pocket. He looked over at Rory and said, "Hey, Lane gave me a list of albums she wanted me to find at this place in Hartford. She said you'd know where it is."

"Oh, yeah. You know what, I'll drive."

"You don't have—"

"I want to. Just let me get my coat," Rory insisted as she headed for the coat rack by the front door.

"Good luck," Lorelai called out, looking pointedly at her daughter as the couple walked out of the Inn.

* * *

Jess had said very little by the time they got onto the highway. Rory eyed him warily.

"She asked me why I was back in your life," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"That's what your grandmother said to me," he explained. "I know you want to know."

"That's not all she said," Rory replied knowingly.

"She just…"

"Jess."

"She told me I didn't care because I left. I told her not to judge me because she didn't know a goddamned thing about me," he answered.

"At least you didn't tell her to fuck off."

"I thought about it."

"I'm sure you did."

"Are you mad?" Jess asked, finally turning his head to look at her.

"Not really," she answered. "Do I wish you weren't at odds with my grandmother right before my mother's wedding in which you are the best man? Of course I do, but I don't blame you for defending yourself. She just—she makes me so mad sometimes. She fixes things with Mom and then she goes and hurts you and does she thrive on conflict or something? There are people that are addicted to that sort of thing, you know. Paris was like that. She probably still is. Oh, God! They're gonna be in the same room together during a major social event on Saturday. The world might explode."

"Rory, calm down."

"No! No calming down. She's hurting people I love and I don't appreciate it."

"You love her too."

"That's not an excuse."

Jess chuckled, pried her right hand from the steering wheel, and kissed it lightly before lacing his fingers with hers. "It'll be okay, Rory," he promised quietly.

She smiled as she squeezed his hand. "I love you so much."

"Love you too."

* * *

"You're having pie?" Rory asked as she walked into the diner, which was empty except for her mother and April who was highly involved in what appeared to be a copy of the DSM IV. "Mom, your rehearsal dinner is in twenty minutes."

"I'm hungry and Luke's upstairs, so I can get away with it," Lorelai explained, grinning devilishly.

"April, you were supposed to watch her," Rory teased.

"I was?" the teenager asked, looking up from her book for the first time since Rory entered the diner.

"Just kidding," Rory assured her.

"Good," April said, laying her book aside, "because I'm pretty sure I couldn't have stopped her if I tried."

"It does take years of training."

"Hey!" Lorelai protested.

"Are you eating pie?!" Luke nearly yelled as he came down the stairs.

Lorelai just stared at him with her mouth closed around her latest bite. Luke snatched the plate away and Lorelai whined through her nose. The girls muffled their laughter and Jess shook his head as he came down the stairs and kissed Rory softly on the lips.

"So, you two are together now, huh?" April asked Rory and Jess rhetorically. "I saw that coming."

Lorelai swallowed and said, "Okay, how did you see that? Are you replacing the psychic from Woodbury at this year's winter carnival?"

"No, but I remember the open house at Jess' work Dad took me to," April said matter-of-factly. "Their pupils dilated when they looked at each other."

They all looked at her with raised eyebrows as she hopped off the stool. "Are we going?"

* * *

Jess took Doula into the library of the Dragonfly when she climbed into his lap and requested he read her a story. It also gave him a convenient excuse to get away from the daggers Emily Gilmore was glaring into his throat. He'd only gotten through a few pages of _The Old Man and the Sea_ when Doula fell asleep on his shoulder. He laid her flat on the sofa next to him and covered her with a throw from a nearby chair. He could still hear the dinner going on as he continued to read.

Santiago was fighting off a mako shark when Jess hear Liz's voice say, "She's out like a light. What did you read her?"

Jess held up the book so she could read it and she chuckled. "I fell asleep when we read that in high school."

Jess resisted the great temptation to roll his eyes. Liz leaned down and kissed his forehead before gently picking up her daughter. "We gotta get this one to bed. Come and see us tomorrow?"

"Sure," Jess replied, nodding.

"I love you, kiddo."

He shifted uncomfortably and briefly said, "Goodnight, Liz."

She smiled sadly as she laid her daughter's head on her shoulder. Liz nodded politely at the very tall man walking into the room as she left.

"I see you're escaping the fray," Richard said, sitting down across from Jess.

"Crowds aren't really my thing," Jess confessed.

"I've had to get used to them over the years," Richard replied. "I like that one, but it's not my favorite Hemmingway. I prefer _For Whom the Bell Tolls_."

"_The Sun Also Rises_," Jess replied, smirking.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Richard began.

The older man continued to smile as the silence between them grew more and more uncomfortable. Jess fidgeted with the pages as he stared at the shiny tips of his shoes.

"I'm afraid I don't know you very well, Jess," Richard told him.

"I, uh…was that a question?" Jess asked.

"If you wouldn't mind," Richard replied. "I've read your book and seen where you work, but I don't really know anything about you other than what I've heard."

Jess smirked. "Yeah, and I'm sure that's all been terrible."

Richard laughed slightly and said, "Ah, well, it seems first impressions aren't really your strong suit."

"Definitely not," Jess admitted.

"I'd say a good starting point would be who that little girl is to you," Richard began gently. "Is she a cousin, or…?"

"Sister, half-sister," Jess explained.

"So, the woman is?"

"Liz. She's…our mother."

"I see," Richard replied, ignoring Jess' obvious hesitation. "And your father?"

"He lives in California," Jess answered shortly.

Richard nodded and sat back. "Why did you choose Philadelphia? Did you have friends or family living there?"

"No, it was just cheaper than New York, although if I'd known about the thousands of _Rocky_ references in my future, I might have gone to New Jersey."

Richard chuckled lightly and said, "I'm sure Lorelai would have found a reason to mock New Jersey as well."

"I have no doubt," Jess agreed.

* * *

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," Rory whispered to April, "what does our pupils dilating mean?"

April glanced across the table at Luke to make sure he wasn't listening and whispered back, "Dilated pupils indicate sexual arousal. You and Jess were obviously attracted to one another."

"Huh," Rory replied as she blinked at her wine glass.

"Something wrong?"

"It's just…I was with someone else back then, and I was thoroughly in love with him at the time."

"That doesn't mean you couldn't be attracted to someone else," April replied.

Rory smiled and said, "I guess I always had a thing for Jess."

April rolled her eyes dramatically and said, "I'm pretty sure 97% of the heterosexual female population has a thing for Jess."

"April!"

"I'm serious! I leant _The Subsect_ to a friend and she Googled him and for the next six months I was the girl with the hot cousin that wrote a book."

"Then it's a good thing none of them have seen your hot dad that runs a diner."

"Jeez, Lorelai!"

"Well, Dad's, you know, kind of old, but Jess is still considered barely attainable," April explained to Lorelai's uproarious laughter.

"Really, Lorelai," Emily admonished.

"Emily," Richard said, entering the dining room, "it is getting quite late."

"True. Where have you been hiding, Richard?"

"I was talking to Jess."

"And he talked back?" Lorelai gasped.

"Smack her for me, April," Rory asked.

"Uh, I'd rather not," April answered uncertainly.

Emily rolled her eyes as their silliness and said, "I'll see you two tomorrow at dinner."

"We're looking forward to it," Lorelai lied.

"We'll see you then."

The elder Gilmores were safely outside before Emily groaned loudly. "I do not understand how Rory can defend that boy, much less continue dating him."

"Leave it alone, Emily," Richard said quietly.

"But, Richard, that boy is completely inappropriate for Rory."

"That boy is a grown man," Richard responded firmly as they got into their car. "And my mother thought you were inappropriate for me."

"_That_ was completely different!"

"No, it isn't," he replied calmly. "I ignored my mother and have not regretted that decision for a moment. That young man may not be the sort of person you would prefer for Rory, but she has made her choice, and we will let her make her choice."

"But, Richard—"

"This subject is not open for discussion, Emily. You will not interfere."

Emily didn't reply and they rode in silence the rest of the way back to Hartford.

* * *

"The Italian miscreant is asleep in the library," Michel announced, walking by the few remaining members of the party. "I am now going home. Goodnight."

"Michel, what—ugh!" Lorelai groaned. "I assume the Italian miscreant is your boyfriend."

"Probably," Rory agreed.

"I'm surprised he hasn't crashed sooner," Luke interjected. "The kid's probably been up since three this morning."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I had to pick April up at the airport at eight, so he showed up at the diner at 7:30 to help me out," Luke explained.

"What were you thinking, Luke?" Lorelai asked him incredulously. "He doesn't actually work for you, you know."

"Hey, he volunteered," Luke protested.

"You must have said something. You know Jess would do anything for you."

"Why are you making an issue of this?"

"My mother was hassling him today and God knows what my father just said to him and now I find out he's been awake for like twenty-one hours, and he's going to sleep on your couch tonight because Rory and I were going to girl talk all night tonight and now I just feel mean and you should too. Ooo, I know! Jess can stay here."

"If that'll make you feel better."

"It will."

"Glad we got that settled. I'll see you for breakfast tomorrow."

"And then you won't see me until I walk down the aisle."

"Whatever you say. I love you," he said before kissing her quickly.

"Love you, too."

"Come on, kiddo."

"Bye, guys. I'll see you tomorrow," April said.

"Thanks, Mom," Rory said when she and her mother were alone.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now, go put your Italian miscreant to bed. I'll meet you at home."

"You liked that Italian miscreant thing, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh, even better than hoodlum, hooligan, and other words that begin with h," Lorelai informed her.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, kid."

* * *

Jess' chin rested awkwardly on his chest. He didn't stir when she sat down next to him on the couch. She reached out to brush away a strand of hair and he jumped awake. She grabbed his hand as he slapped her away instinctively.

"Hey, it's just me," she assured him gently.

"Sorry," he replied, groaning at the pain in his neck. "I don't remember falling asleep."

"Oh, like you don't remember getting up at three this morning?" Rory asked, admonishing him teasingly.

"It was closer to two," he admitted. "My car has been having trouble going above fifty."

"You didn't have to get here so early," she told him. "Luke could have called Lane or one of his other employees or, heck, he could have called me or Mom. You did not have to drive here before dawn and stay up all day."

"Maybe I _wanted_ to do it," he replied, a bitter edge to his voice.

"Hey," she said tenderly, running her fingers through his hair. "You just fell asleep in a library. I'm allowed to be worried."

He turned enough to kiss the palm of her hand and said, "I know. I'm sorry. I should probably get going."

"You don't have to go anywhere," she said, holding his shirt to keep him in place.

"Rory, what—"

"Mom decided that since you were such a sweetheart today, you deserve a real bed."

"That's not—"

"Don't argue with a Gilmore. It's fruitless. Just ask your uncle."

Jess chuckled and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. "I don't have to ask him. I know from personal experience."

She brushed some unruly black hair from his forehead and kissed the side of his brow. "You are a very good man," she told him seriously.

"You're an amazing woman," he told her with equal seriousness.

She smiled and pulled him to his feet. "Come on. I'll tuck you in."

* * *

A/N: I'd just like to say that all the reviewers are awesome. Never before has a single fic of mine gotten such an overwhelming response. This fandom is totally awesome. Thanks.


	22. Chapter 22: The Paris Gale er

A/N: So...I don't normally do an update this short, but it's Monday, and we need to keep Milo on Mondays, so watch "Heroes" on NBC tonight at 9/8 central and if you miss it, catch on NBC's website, or Netflix if you have Netflix instant. That concludes this user advertisement/begging session.

* * *

"So, Rory, how is the job search going?" Richard asked during their Friday night dinner.

"Pretty good," she answered between bites of lamb. "I'll be in Boston for the last half of next week. I have interviews with the _Globe _and the _Christian Science Monitor_ and a few smaller papers in the metro area. I'm waiting to hear back from some of the other papers and my editor is actually having me write a blog about looking for work in this economy. It doesn't pay much, but the series on the economy set me up pretty well."

"Where will you be staying in Boston?" Emily asked.

"I'm gonna save some money and stay with Paris and Doyle in Cambridge."

"Are you going to see your father at all?"

Rory and Lorelai shared a significant glance before Rory answered, "Uh, yeah, it would be rude to be in Boston and not go see Dad."

"Does Christopher even know you're getting married?" Emily directed this at her daughter.

"Uh, yeah, Mom, he knows," Lorelai answered, shaking her head slightly. "He sent us a blender."

"You didn't already have one?"

"No, Mom, it was a joke. He—oh, nevermind," Lorelai muttered.

"Does he know about your pregnancy?"

"No, Mom, we don't really talk that much, and why do you care what Christopher does and doesn't know about my life?"

"What happens in your life effects Rory and that is Christopher's concern."

"Grandma, I'm twenty-four. It doesn't matter as much as it did when I was sixteen."

"Well, I've been limited in the things I can discuss tonight."

"Emily, that is not what I said," Richard told her.

"Most people seem to think if I say anything at all that I'm interfering."

"That's because you usually are."

"Lorelai!"

"What are you not interfering in?" Rory asked.

"What is Jess going to do if you have to move for your job?" Emily asked suddenly. "I certainly hope he isn't going to drop everything and follow you around like a puppy. No woman really wants a man that weak-willed."

Rory blinked in surprise. "I, uh, we haven't really discussed the particulars because I don't have a job yet."

"Well, are you going to break up?"

"Emily!"

"No, Grandma, we're not going to break up if I have to move across the country or to Kartoum. We've done the breaking up thing. We're over it."

Lorelai smiled at her own words coming out of her daughter's mouth.

"Are you saying you're going to stay with Jess _forever_?"

"Emily," Richard warned through gritted teeth.

"I don't know, Grandma," Rory replied, clearly exasperated. "But as far as you and everyone else are concerned, yes, we are going to be together forever!"

Rory's face went suddenly blank at the enormity of her own words. Lorelai smiled at her sympathetically while Richard and Emily focused on the food in front of them.

They continued in silence until Richard said, "So, Lorelai, where did you say you were going on your honeymoon?"

* * *

"I said I was going to spend forever with Jess," Rory said, staring blankly at the road in front of them.

"Well, yeah, sort of," Lorelai replied. "You did, however, say you couldn't see the future."

"But, still, that's crazy talk. We've only been together a month."

"That's debatable."

"What's debatable about it, Mom? It was three seconds before the beginning of the year, which was _exactly_ a month ago."

"But you guys have all that history."

"We were different people then," Rory argued. "I was sheltered and spoiled and he was hurt and angry."

"Rory, yes, you guys have changed, but, essentially, you're still the same," Lorelai replied. "You're still the smart and determined young woman with endless knowledge of Russian literature. He's still cocky and sarcastic and basically pretty shy. You know each other and you get each other and that's what most people spend the first month of a relationship doing, but you guys didn't have to do that. And you already told me you see Jess as a person you could see spending your life with. Admitting you want to be with him forever is not that big a leap. You probably shouldn't have jumped in front of the grandparents, but hindsight is always 20/20."

Rory thought about it in silence for a moment and said, "I'm in love with him."

"And Barack Obama is the president of the United States. Old news, sweets."

"No, I love him, that's the old news. I think a part of me always did, but I was never _in_ love with him."

"Hon, I'm officially without GPS over here."

Rory turned in her seat to look at her mom and explained, "I was _in_ love with Dean and Logan, and you can say 'I love you' when you're in love and not be lying, but the reason you say it is because the circumstances of the relationship are conducive to love, not because you just love them because they get you and want to be with you and would move the world for you. That's what has been wrong with all my relationships: I've either just loved the person, or been _in _love with them. And now I have both with Jess and it's…freaking awesome! Did any of that make sense?"

"Eh, most of it. I especially understood the freaking awesome part," Lorelai replied, grinning.

"Well, I'm trying to watch my language around the little ears."

"Do they have ears yet?" Lorelai asked, gently rubbing her stomach.

"I don't know. We'll ask Paris tomorrow," Rory said as her phone went off. Her eyes widened when she saw the message on the screen. "Or we could ask her in ten minutes. She's at the Dragonfly."

"Oh, dear," Lorelai said as her phone started ringing. "Hi, Michel. Yes, Michel, I know. I know she's an abomination to your homeland. I'll be there in a few minutes. You can hold out until then. Stop being such a baby. Fine! I will send you reinforcements."

Lorelai clicked her phone shut and tossed it back into her purse and looked at her daughter. "Tell your boyfriend to distract Paris."

"That was your plan for reinforcements?"

"Just call him!"

* * *

"You want me to what?"

"Just distract her for a few minutes until we get there."

"Rory, I don't even know her all that well."

"You managed to get into a heated argument the first time you met her _and _you kept up with her. That's quite an accomplishment, my friend."

"So you want me to get into an argument with one of your best friends?"

"If you're arguing with her, she won't be torturing the staff."

"And how am I supposed to get into this argument?"

"Just walk by, she'll call you Kerouac or Bukowski or something like that, and then you can figure it out from there."

"Rory, I—"

"You'll do it if you love me," she cooed.

"Oh, yeah, Rory, nice time to play that card."

"Pleeeeeease?"

"Fine," he relented. "Tell your mother to step on it."

"I will. Oh, and don't be surprised if Paris doesn't think we're together."

"You didn't tell her?"

"No, I texted, I called, and I finally got her to respond to an email, but I'm pretty sure she thought I was kidding."

"Great," Jess deadpanned.

"I will make it up to you, I swear."

"You'd better," he told her before snapping his phone closed.

He started past the dining room until he heard a shocked, "Oh, my God! You're actually _here_?!"

He turned around and actually managed a thin smile. "Hey, Paris."

"What are you doing here?" she asked again.

"Uh, my uncle is getting married tomorrow, and I'm the best man, so it would be rude not to show up for the wedding," Jess explained sarcastically.

"Does Rory know you're coming? This is her mother's wedding, and if you make this awkward or uncomfortable for her, I swear—"

"Hi, I'm Jess," he said, shaking the hand of the young man sitting with Paris as he joined them.

"Doyle," the young man replied, slightly nervous.

"This is Jess Mariano, Rory's ex-boyfriend and Luke's nephew," Paris said, eyeing Jess warily. He just smirked and didn't bother correcting her.

"Jess Mariano? Didn't you write a book?"

Jess nodded and Paris groaned.

"It wasn't nearly as amazing as Rory seems to think. It had your ridiculous machismo all over it."

"I've read _The Bell Jar_, Ms. Friedan," Jess informed her calmly.

"That obviously didn't save you from being an idiot," Paris grumbled, completely ignoring the young man shaking so bad he nearly poured iced tea all over the table. "What are you really doing here, Kerouac?"

"Being a little paranoid there, Paris," Jess told her.

"Kerouac? So, you like the Beats?" Doyle asked Jess.

"Yep," Jess answered shortly.

"Typical male," Paris muttered. "You all think the beats are so great because they sluffed off their responsibilities and plowed it wherever they could find it and occasionally wrote something down."

"They changed literature forever, starting with what could and couldn't be published in this country."

"You think that because you work at a publishing house the size of a thumbnail, you actually _know_ something about what makes good literature?" Paris asked as a server hastily delivered a basket of bread before retreating to the kitchen.

"What publishing house do you work at?" Doyle asked.

"Truncheon Books in Philadelphia," Jess answered shortly.

"Yes, a truncheon because they want to beat you over the head with their masculine idiocy."

"Give it a rest, Gloria," Jess told her, rolling his eyes.

"You have an ulterior motive. They always have an ulterior motive," she said, narrowing her gaze toward him.

"Is she this suspicious of you?" Jess asked Doyle.

"Not really. We have a trusting relationship…mostly," he added quietly.

"Um…would you like to order?" the waiter asked timidly. "The kitchen will be closing in thirty minutes."

"Are we not paying to stay here? Do you think we're not going to pay for the food?"

"Just bring them the dinner special," Jess told the waiter who quickly dashed back to the kitchen.

Paris glared at him. "I don't need _you_ to order for me."

"If I let you order, that guy would be here until midnight, and he's been here all day."

"Like you've been here all day?" Paris asked incredulously.

"Basically, yeah."

"Lorelai is _not _letting you stay here," Paris said authoritatively. "She hates you. Everyone knows this."

Jess smirked and shook his head. "You're not Marilyn vos Savant. You don't know everything."

"Paris! You're here!"

Jess pressed his lips together to keep from releasing a deep sigh of relief at the sound of Rory's cheerful voice.

"Rory." Paris replied, standing up. "We didn't ask him to sit here, he just sat down and wouldn't leave. If he's making you uncomfortable, I'm sure the French guy can throw him out."

Rory just smiled and hugged Paris. She then leaned over and kissed Jess softly on the lips. "Thanks for keeping them company," she told him.

"You owe me, Gilmore," he whispered in her ear.

Paris' eyes bounced from Rory to Jess and back again. "You were serious?!" she screeched.

"Hey, Doyle," Rory said politely before taking Paris' arm and leading her out of the dining room.

"Hey, Rory," he replied, his forehead furrowed in confusion. "So…I guess you're Rory's ex-ex-boyfriend?"

Jess smiled and said, "Yeah, you could say that."

* * *

"How could you not tell me this? I'm your best friend!"

"I did tell you, Paris," Rory said once they were in the library.

"Oh, yeah, 'By the way, Jess and I got back together at New Year's' at the end of an email counts as telling me. Your sense of humor eludes me sometimes, Gilmore," Paris said sarcastically.

"You weren't returning my calls."

"I'm busy. Medical school isn't a cake walk, you know."

"It took you thirty seconds to write 'Yeah, whatever' in an email. You could have spent that time asking me for details."

Paris grumbled and folded her arms across her chest. "Are you sure about this? I mean you got back together with Dean after you'd been broken up a while and that ended, well…badly."

"I'm sure about this, Paris."

"You're not going to recite the pro/con list?"

"Didn't make one."

"You, Rory Gilmore, got back together with Giovanni Verga in there _without_ making a pro/con list?"

"Don't mock the pro/con list, and sometimes Paris, you just don't need one."

"Wow. This _is_ serious."

"Yeah," Rory replied, nodding. "Very serious."

"You still staying with us next week?"

"If you still want me."

"Don't be overly humble, Gilmore, it's annoying, and, if Jess wants to see you on the weekend, he can stay with us too."

"Thanks, Paris."

"Yeah, don't get all mushy on me, Gilmore."

"This is not a youth hostel!" Michel announced angrily from the doorway.

"Uh, okay," Rory replied cautiously.

"They are everywhere!"

"Who?"

"Your people."

"_My_ people?"

"Yes, your little photographer friend and a man so skinny he should be homeless."

"Oh, it must be Amelia and Chris," Rory said, "and they are Mom's guests, Michel. Which reminds me, Paris, what week of pregnancy do fetuses grow ears?"

* * *

A/N: Hope that was good for twenty-four hours of work. Enjoy...and, you know...review.


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